Sakura and the Boy Who Lived: The Beginning
by MikuAkizuki
Summary: Sakura receives a strange letter stating that she is invited to the most prestigious school of magic called Hogwarts. With a new school to attend, new friends to be with, and new enemies to face, Sakura discovers a load full of mysteries and secrets. Not good with summaries and titles. Rated T just in case
1. Prologue

Hi guy! This is my first story. The plot is based on the first film of Harry Potter with a twist; CCS characters have a part in it! Enjoy!

A/N:

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"_Text spoken in Japanese_"

'_Thoughts in Japanese_'

*Flashback*

***Dream***

* * *

**Prologue**

"_I don't need another master!_" Yue's anger echoed through the room. His face was flushed with remorse as his current master, Clow Reed, sat there, his never-dying smile formed from his lips.

"_Then it would be good if you decide_," Clow leaned forward and started stroking Yue's silver hair, "_whether or not that person is suitable_."

"_There is no one suitable_" Yue started to cry in his master's arms.

"_Yue has decided so he is partial_." Clow Reed looked to his left and spoke to the winged lion beast beside Yue. "S_o please decide on a candidate_, _Keroberos_."

"_Are you serious? How could I do that?_" The winged beast, Keroberos as he is called, looked at his master's face and looked down, frowning.

"_Sure they will appear, someone you will admit as a new master_." Clow Reed smiled at both his guardians.

"_I will sleep in the book forever, never to awaken._" Yue retorted and looked at his master with anger. "_I don't need a new master!_"

_"Yue, Keroberos, and the Clow cards; I poured all of my power and all of my heart into creating you all,_" Clow hugged Yue for the last time. He can feel his tears falling slowly as his guardian cuddled to him. "_Therefore, after I die, I want you to stay with your master and be happy_."

Yue fell asleep in their beloved master's arms. Slowly, he levitated and was covered with his wings. His appearance suddenly changed; he turned into a small crescent moon with small wings on the side. Clow Reed then placed him on the back of his red leather book below his magic seal.

"_You probably understand Yue's personality best,_" he stood up and turned to Keroberos. "_He won't acknowledge a new master. That's why I want you to choose a new master you will acknowledge._"

'_Damn_' Keroberos thought to himself. He looked at his master's face then looked at his paws. "_I just don't get it_." His voice was barely audible.

Clow Reed started to stroke Keroberos' mane. He knelt on one kneel lifted his winged beast's chin. His genuine smile still didn't leave his face, which Keroberos didn't understand.

"_Your personality is bad_," Keroberos started as he looked at his master's eyes. "_You give in to every whim. Your power is too strong. You're just otherworldly, and you're a really strange guy. But -_-" He stammered. He looked at his paws one more time and his tears started to fall. "_T-To me, you were a - a good master_"

Clow smiled and his tears were still falling. He hugged his winged guardian beast for the last time, kissed his cheek, whispered a small thank you before letting him fall asleep.

Like Yue, when Keroberos fell asleep, he too slowly levitated and was covered with his wings. He, then, was placed in the red book's cover as a lion with wings with the sun below it. 'The Clow' was written above it. In the book contained the Clow cards, the most powerful cards in the world, created by Clow Reed.

"_You would understand soon enough, Keroberos, when your master fulfils my wish_" Clow Reed smiled as he walked towards the center of his room. He then chanted a spell and suddenly, a large staff with the sun and the moon on the end appeared.

"_Now, for my final spell_." He raised his staff and suddenly, his magic circle appeared in front of him. He waved his staff toward the front and blue swirls of energy blasted towards the magic circle. The blue swirls began to stir violently until two figures appeared on top of the magic circle; one, a child with raven blue hair and glasses, the other, a full grown man with auburn hair and glasses. Nevertheless, the two figures looked like Clow Reed himself.

The lights died down, and there stood in front of Clow Reed the two figures. He smiled to himself, satisfied with his creation.

"_Now, everything begins here_." Clow Reed walked out of his room and out of his mansion. He then saw a dark hooded figure behind the gate. The dark figure opened the gate without touching it, then walked towards the master of the house.

"It's starting to snow now." Clow said nonchalantly in perfect English. The figure just stood there, not moving.

"It's been a while, Tom."


	2. Chapter I

A/N: For those of you who might ask, the 2nd movie of CCS didn't happen in this fanfic. This fanfic takes place a few months after Syaoran left for HongKong. I am assuming that Sakura only turned 11 during the year, so this happened during the end of May.

Just so you know, the plot is predetermined, but it might change, depending on the circumstances and your reviews.

I would try to keep updating every after two weeks (or a week, if I have THE time) and don't hesitate to review! I would truly appreciate it.

Also, I do NOT own both CCS and HP!

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"_Text spoken in Japanese_"

'_Thoughts in Japanese_'

*Flashback*

* * *

**I: Sakura and the dangerous dream**

It was pure darkness. Sakura opened her eyes to see nothing. She can't even see herself. The cold mist sent shivers down her spine. Then, by every second, she started to see herself in the darkness.

"_Light-san?_" She called out as she saw a light flashing far away. By instinct, she ran towards the source of light, not knowing where it really was, not even knowing where she was.

'_Where am I? Is this a dream?_' Sakura dashed as fast as she can, not knowing which direction she went. She just simply followed the light she saw a while ago. She ran until she is in front of a big house.

"_Where am I?_" she asked herself. Suddenly, she saw a flash of green light from the 2nd floor window of the house she was in front of. She went inside the house to check it out. As seconds passed, the chills down her spine intensified even more. She reached the 2nd floor room where the green light came from. Shaking and panting from the sudden sprint from the outside, she peaked inside the open door.

"_Die!_" All the sound from inside the room were muffled to Sakura. When she slowly opened the door more and looked even closer, a stick with a green light on the tip was pointed at her. Suddenly, a burst of green light rushed over her. The moment the light struck her, she fell on the floor, as if dead.

'_Am I dead?_' She asked herself while the heaviness of her eyes rubbed off on her. She slowly lost her breath, and closed her eyes.

'_No? I'm n-not dead?_' Sakura opened her eyes once more. She then saw that she was in a big, white room with two doors.

'_Now, where am I now? This dream sure is weird._' She looked around the room and saw nothing but white walls. She was confused; first she was in a dark area, now she is in a white room.

When she turned around to look at the two doors again, she was surprised to see a man standing in between the doors.

"_Hoee? Clow-san?_" She took a step forward to look at the man one more time. She wasn't mistaken, it really was Clow Reed, his ancestor.

On the door on her left, now open, her mother, Nadeshiko, stood there, smiling at her.

"_Okaa-san!_" Sakura ran towards the left door, but Clow Reed stopped her.

"_No, Sakura-chan, don't come to me yet._" Nadeshiko still smiled, although her eyes were sad.

"_Why, okaa-san?_" Sakura was again confused. She looked at Clow with a confused look.

"_Sakura-san, you can't be with your mother yet_,_" _Clow Reed knelt beside Sakura and frowned.

"_Why is that, Clow-san?_" Sakura was on the verge of tears.

"_You-_" Clow stammered, unsure of how to say the situation to the 11-year-old girl.

"_You died in your dream_"

* * *

*KRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING*

It was 7 a.m. in Tomoeda, Japan. A very noisy alarm suddenly rang in the room of Sakura Kinomoto. It didn't work though; as it rang endlessly, the 11-year-old girl just ignored it. Minutes later, a groan was heard from across the room.

"_Sakura... yerr alarm is ringing. Put it down,_" a small, sleepy yellow creature emerged from the drawer on the right side of the room. Keroberos, the guardian beast of the then Clow cards (now Sakura cards), flew across the room to wake his mistress up. "_Even if yerr the strongest sorcerer in the world, ya still have school, ya know._" He flew closer to Sakura.

"_Sakura, if ya don't wake up, ya'll be …._" Keroberos noticed that Sakura wasn't moving. She was sweating all over, but she was disturbingly still.

"_Sakura?_" He slowly flew towards Sakura's face. The moment he touched her face, he was horrified; Sakura wasn't breathing anymore.

"_Sakura? Sakura!_"

* * *

"_I-I died?_" Sakura fell to her knees. She was still in shock of what she discovered; what happened in her dream really happened to her, and her soul is on the verge on crossing the "lines", so to speak.

"_Yes, Sakura-san, I'm afraid you did. And you are now in a place where souls are to cross the border line._" Still frowning, Clow Reed stood up and looked at Nadeshiko, who also was frowning.

"_B-but, I can't die yet, I-I ... otou-san, onii-chan, the Cards, Kero-chan, Yue-san, Tomoyo-chan," _Sakura's face fell down, her auburn-colored bangs covered her eyes, covering her tears falling from her face._ "S-Syaoran-kun"_

_"__You cannot die yet, though, Sakura-san_," Clow patted Sakura's head. "_There's so much for you to do, still_"

"_Sakura!_" Clow and Sakura was surprised. When they looked for the source of the voice, they found out that the right pathway where the other open door is started to glow.

"_That voice," _Sakura wiped her tears and tucked her short auburn locks behind her ear. "_Kero-chan?_"

She stood up and ran towards the right door and tried to open it, but there was no doorknob.

"_Kero-chan!_" Sakura shouted one more time then turned to look at Clow Reed who was still standing there, looking at the door.

"_Sakura-sama! Sakura-sama"_

"_Sakura!" _

"_Wake up, please!_"

"_The cards? The cards! I'm here!_" Sakura tried to pound on the door, but still it won't open

Now smiling, Clow Reed walked towards Sakura who was facing the door. Sakura fell to her knees again and started crying. '_How can I go to where everyone is__?_'

"_If it's you, everything will surely be all right._" Clow whispered. Sakura stopped crying and looked at Clow, then to her mother who was still standing at the other door, smiling.

"_Alright_" Sakura stood in front of the door once again and touched it.

"_Sakura! Don't die on me now!"_ Keroberos' voice was clearer that before. Sakura placed her hands together and closed her eyes

'_Take me where everyone is, please._' She prayed. She and the door then started to glow. She felt as if a soothing hand was taking her away from the white room she was in. She looked back to where Clow and her mother were.

"_I'm sure when you return, new troubles will occur around you, but I'm sure everything will be all right._" Clow said as Sakura slowly entered the right doorway.

"_I'll always be watching you, Touya and Fujitaka._" Nadeshiko waved to her daughter, who smiled back.

"_Be careful, Sakura-san,_" Clow's face suddenly turned serious, "_the dark lord has begun._"

"_Hoee?_" Sakura was surprised on what Clow said. "Wait,_ Clow-san? Clow-san!_"

Sakura then woke up.

* * *

Sakura jolted up from her bed, surprised with the sudden blow of air to her lungs. Heavily panting and sweating, she felt dizzy the moment she woke up. What surprised her was all her cards and Keroberos surrounding her.

"_SAKURAAA! I thought we're gonna lose you 'ya know!_" Keroberos flew to Sakura, still crying. All of her cards rested on Sakura's open palm. She felt terribly weak that she fell onto her bed again. All she can say was a quiet "_hoee.._" at Keroberos. All the cards then returned to the book. The door suddenly opened.

Touya peeked and saw Sakura still laying on the bed with Keroberos floating by her side. Keroberos was now not a problem, since Toya knew from the beginning what Sakura had been doing for the past year. He even gave up his power to Sakura's other guardian, Yue, to sustain his best friend's existence, Yukito (Yue's false form).

"_If you don't wake up now, you'll be super late,_" Touya stared at Sakura then sneered. "_Kaijuu_"

"_I'm not a monster!_" Sakura jolted up her bed again, but the moment she sat up, she remembered the flash of green light she saw in her dream. The memory overwhelmed her and she fell to her bed again.

"_Sakura? Are you ok?_" Touya walked towards the side of Sakura's bed, only to find her sleeping again.

"_Hey Keroberos, what happened?_" Touya, worried, asked the still-crying Keroberos.

"_I ... don't know either._" Keroberos' face fell. Touya stared at the plushie for a while, raising an eyebrow. The Mirror suddenly emerged from the cards. "_He is telling the truth, onii-sama._" The Mirror said while still in her card form.

"_Well then,_" Touya rose up from Sakura's bed, still worried. "_I'll be going now. Keep an eye on her for me while I'm not around. Otou-san won't be back until next week. I'll be back tonight._" Toya reached for the door.

Before he left Sakura's room, Touya told Keroberos that there are snacks in the drawer at the kitchen and that he should not to open the fridge. Giving Keroberos one last glare, he left the room. Keroberos sweatdropped. He then looked at the sleeping Sakura with worry on his face.

'_What in the world happened?_'

* * *

It was 2 in the afternoon. Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She doesn't remember much about anything that happened. All she remembered was feeling terribly weak earlier during the morning.

"_Sakura! Yerr awake!_" Keroberos suddenly bursted into the room and flew towards Sakura.

"_Kero-chan, what happened?_" Sakura's whisper was barely audible. Suddenly, she remembered seeing Clow Reed and her mother, and that she died

"_Kero-chan, I-I ..._" Sakura stuttered. Keroberos was still staring at her.

"_Kero-chan, what happened?_"

*FLASHBACK*

"_Sakura?_" Keroberos slowly flew towards Sakura's face. The moment he touched her face, he was horrified; Sakura wasn't breathing anymore.

"_Sakura? Sakura!_" He shook his mistress to wake her, but she didn't budge.

"_Sakura-sama?_" The cards emerged from the drawer, surrounding their mistress.

"_Sakura's not waking up! She's not breathing at all!_" Keroberos cried. In panic, the Cards started circling around Sakura.

"_Sakura-sama! Sakura-sama!_"

"_Sakura!_"

"_Wake up, please!_"

Still, nothing happened. Sakura was still not moving, and not breathing. The Cards started to lose their color. Keroberos, although his power comes from the sun, felt his energy draining every second.

"_Sakura!_" Keroberos started to cry. "_Don't die on me_ _now!__"_

Suddenly, Sakura started to glow. Keroberos and the Cards started to feel warmth from her again; the Cards started to gain their color again, and Keroberos is regaining his strength.

Sakura then woke up.

*END*

"_It's probably my dream,_" she whispered. Keroberos raised an eyebrow.

"_What dream? Ya remember, right?_" He just looked at her intently.

Silence rose from the room, with Sakura staring at the floor and Keroberos looking at her. Sakura gave off a nervous laugh.

"_I ... really... don't._" Keroberos fell to the floor as Sakura just continued to laugh nervously.

"_Ya know dreams are important for a sorcerer like you!_" Keroberos shouted to Sakura. "_Ya never change,_" he just shook his head and went to sit on top of Sakura's drawer.

"_I do remember some, though,_" Sakura sounded serious. Keroberos looked at her intently again. "_I remember seeing a flash of green light, then it hit me. I fell to the floor after that._" She paused and looked at Keroberos who was looking back at her.

"_And then, I saw Clow-san and okaa-san, in a white room with two doors._" Keroberos flinched at the mention of his former master's name.

"_You saw Clow Reed?_" He paused for a while, then it hit him. "_The crossroads!_"

"_The what?_" Sakura, still feeling weak, she almost tumbled down when she tried to walk towards the drawer. Keroberos caught her.

"_Beeerrr keeerrfaauull!_" Keroberos said while biting Sakura's pajama top. He then supported Sakura while she walked towards her chair. Settling Sakura down, Keroberos sat in the drawer again. "_The crossroads is where souls cross the line to the afterlife. Although there is a possibility that you can still live, it's only a little. Most cases, the soul heads straight to the door leading the after life, not really having the chance to choose._" Keroberos paused and looked at Sakura, who was half asleep.

"_But Clow-san stopped me from going there,_" Sakura yawned, "_and then, I started to hear voices, your voices_." Sakura took the Cards from where it was then placed it near her chest. "_I was really scared at that time. When I heard your voices I felt a spark of hope. Then Clow-san told me everything will be all right when I was about to cry._" Sakura smiled. "_Then I woke up_."

"_That's good to hear, Sakura._" Keroberos relaxed a bit, then smiled. Sakura smiled back, but then, she remembered something else.

"_Oh yeah, Kero-chan, about my dream,_" she looked so serious that Keroberos flinched. "_I really don't remember much, but about the green light I told you, I think it's that light that killed me._" Sakura bit her lip; it was hard for her to talk about it, after all. "_Do you have an idea what it was?_" Keroberos, meanwhile, was in deep thought.

"_Hmmm... I don't really remember. Clow did tamper our memories after all._" Keroberos frowned. "_Well, Sakura, in any case, we should be careful 'bout green lights and stuff from now on!_" Sakura dropped from her chair.

"_Is that really necessary?_" Sakura just scratched her head. Keroberos roared with laughter.

'_I'm afraid, Sakura, that everything begins here._' Keroberos thought to himself. '_But if it's you, everything will surely be all right._'


	3. Chapter II

**I do NOT own both CCS and HP!**

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"_Text spoken in Japanese_"

'_Thoughts in Japanese_'

*Flashback*

* * *

**II: Sakura, Touya and the mysterious letter**

After an hour, with Kero sleeping, Sakura decided to go down and cook for dinner. She passed by the whiteboard to see that Touya would be home late this evening and their father wouldn't be home until next week. She checked up the fridge to see if there were enough ingredients to cook for dinner. She noticed a big note that says "_KEROBEROS, DO NOT OPEN OR ELSE_" in the door of the fridge. Sakura giggled as she took some meat from the fridge.

Since their mailbox is visible from the living room window, she decided to peek at it, checking if, by any chance, there were mails delivered during the afternoon. Touya already grabbed the morning mail in her place this morning, so she didn't expect any letters in the mailbox.

As it turns out, there was a letter in the mailbox.

Sakura headed out to their mailbox to see the mysterious letter inside. She noticed a beautiful silver owl by the lampost in front of her, staring as she grabbed the letter. The moment she touched the letter, the owl flew off to the direction of the west.

'_Hoee? It's unusual for owls to fly here in Tomoeda_' Sakura pondered as she looked at the mysterious letter. She saw that the letter was sealed with a weird seal that has a lion, a snake, a badger and a raven on it. When she flipped the letter, she was surprised; the letter was addressed to her.

MS. SAKURA KINOMOTO  
ENTRANCE OF THE KINOMOTO RESIDENCE  
TOMOEDA, JAPAN

'_Now that …. is weird._' Sakura turned around to head straight inside their house when she realized something.

'_E-English? H-How?_' Looking back at the strange letter, she raised her eyebrows as she curiously flipped the letter to open it. Suddenly, the phone rang.

'_Hoe? Who could that be?_' She entered the house and placed the letter by the table in the living room to answer the phone.

"_Moshi moshi?_"

"_Sakura-chan! What happened? You didn't come to class today_" At the end of the line, Tomoyo Daidouji, Sakura's bestfriend and second cousin, shouted so loud that Sakura pulled the phone away from her.

"_I'm fine, Tomoyo-chan, he he he. I just got a little sick during the morning._" Sakura gave off a nervous laugh while she blurted out her lie. She wasn't really sick during the morning, after all.

"_Ooohhh, I should've called you after class. Terada-sensei cut classes off because they had a faculty meeting. I was home pretty early_." Sakura can hear how Tomoyo longed to see her; she can practically see Tomoyo's starry eyes while holding the phone. Sakura sweatdropped.

"_Ehehehehe. Ne, Tomoyo-chan, can you come by our house tomorrow before we go to school? I … I have something to ask you_" Sakura trailed off a bit. There was silence at the other line.

"_Oh sure, anything for you, my kawaii Sakura-chan!_" The end of the line suddenly hung up. Sakura sweatdropped. Sakura looked at the clock after that. It was 4 p.m.

"_HOEEEEEE! I have to cook dinner now!_" Sakura dashed to the kitchen as fast as she could.

She forgot the weird letter she got on the table.

* * *

Touya got home pretty late that night. Balancing high school and part-time jobs was rough, after all. He took his shoes off then headed to the living room.

"_I'm home!_" He said as he scanned the living room and the dining room. He saw a covered meal at the dining table. Touya smiled at the sight of this.

'_Sakura_' He smiled as he went to the dining room the see what was in the plate. It was his favorite meal; juicy, tender steak. He took it and rushed to the staircase to study while eating.

At the corner of his eye, something caught his attention.

Putting down his dinner for a while, Touya went back to the living room. He saw a weird envelope on top of the table. His eyes enlarged at the sight of this.

It was addressed to Sakura.

'_No..._' Touya thought as he took the letter and hid it at his pocket.

He went upstairs, with his dinner on one hand, then took the letter from his pocket with the other hand. As he entered his room, he placed his dinner down his desk. He crumpled the letter then placed it on the trash in his room. He then went outside and went straight ahead to Sakura's room.

'_I won't let you, Sakura..._' He thought to himself as he peeked at the sleeping Sakura with a hint of worry on his face.

* * *

Touya was the one assigned to cook breakfast early in the morning the next day. He rose up from his bed then went out of his room. At the window near his room, he noticed two brown owls sitting by it. As if he realized something, he shooed the owls away. The owls scowled at him in return.

Touya then rushed to the mailbox to find two letters for Sakura; the same letter he threw away last night. He hid the two letters in his pocket then took the other letters in the living room. He looked at the letters with a hint of worry.

'_No, mom, I wouldn't let it happen_'

Sakura went down the stairs. It was too early for a 5th grader to rise at the time. It was only 6:30 a.m. She went to the kitchen to find Touya, still cooking.

"_Good morning, onii-chan!_" Sakura beamed a big bright smile at Touya. She then went to the living room immediately.

"_It's too early to rise, kaijuu. There must be a full moon tonight_" Touya sneered at Sakura's direction, but he found her not there.

Carrying two plates of egg and sausage to the dining room, he found Sakura roaming around the living room. He took his cup of coffee, sat down the table, and started to sip his coffee.

"_You sure are early today, onii-chan!_" Sakura said as she ducked to look underneath their sofa.

"_You sure are too... kaijuu_" Touya sneered again, repeating what Sakura failed to hear a while ago.

As it turns out, she didn't hear what Touya said, again.

Touya looked at Sakura while she searched the whole living room. She didn't bother asking her brother for help. '_Onii-chan might make fun of me for it. What? A silly letter?_' She thought to herself as she peeked underneath the table one last time.

"_Oi, what are you looking for?_" He couldn't stand his little sister roaming around frantically. He slowly sipped his coffee.

"_Onii-chan,_" Sakura started, but then paused. "_Did you …. did you see a strange letter in this table last night?_"

Toya choked at his coffee. He looked guilty by how he reacted to Sakura's question.

"_What? A silly letter?_" Toya laughed nervously. Sakura rolled her eyes. '_I knew it_', she thought, failing to see how Touya looked guilty.

"_Nevermind,_" Sakura was annoyed by how her brother reacted. She sat down to eat her breakfast with Touya. Touya looked at the mailbox for a while, then ate his breakfast. '_Good thing she's dense._' He sighed with relief.

* * *

"_I'm going now! Bye, onii-chan!_" Sakura waved as she went out with Tomoyo, who was out at the gate. She didn't notice a red owl looking at her from the light post.

"_So, what do you want to ask?_" The purple-haired girl asked Sakura as they walked towards their school. They were almost reaching the end of the school term. Sakura never felt sad with leaving 5th grade. No, it's not the fact that they're going to turn 6th grade next term, it's the fact that Tomoyo Daidouji will be transferring schools next term, or worse, she was leaving the country right after school ends.

"_Are you really leaving Japan?_" Sakura stopped walking for a while. She looked at the floor, pondering on how she would live without her best friend, her one and only best friend.

Tomoyo wasn't really shocked with Sakura's question. She really never intended for Sakura to know until the last day of school, but she knew that Sakura would predict it soon. She knew Sakura would be hurt, but she just couldn't build her courage to tell her. Especially when he left Sakura a few months earlier, that boy; Li Syaoran.

"_I ... I saw it ... in a dream a few nights ago._" Sakura shuffled her right foot around while looking at the floor.

They both paused for a moment. Tomoyo walked towards Sakura then hugged her tightly.

"_I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan. It's just that I can't seem to tell you about it_." Sakura can feel Tomoyo's tears as she hugged her back.

"_Well, Tomoyo-chan, don't worry about it._" Pulling from her best friend's embrace, Sakura beamed a smile at her, who looked guilty. "_I wish you good luck in England!_" Tomoyo wasn't surprised that Sakura knew where she was going. She was the most powerful sorcerer in the world after all.

"_Arigatou, Sakura-chan! Let's spend our last few days together, happily!_" Tomoyo beamed a genuine smile at Sakura as they enter their school grounds.

"_Promise me you'll write to me!_" Tomoyo flinched at Sakura's words as a memory stirred in her head.

*FLASHBACK*

"_Promise me you'll write to me._" Sakura whispered as the boy standing in front of her picked his suitcase up. Tomoyo was behind them, videotaping the whole scenario.

"_I promise, and I'll be back. I promise to write to you anyway I can, if it be possible, every week._" He hugged Sakura with one hand since his suitcase was in the other. "_I'm going to sort things out with the Elders first, then, everything would be fine, and I'll be back for you._"

He let go of Sakura then turned around towards the check-in area of the airport. Before he lose sight of Sakura, he mouthed a big '_I love you_' towards her direction, and it was just in time to hear a response from her.

"_I love you too, Syaoran_"

*END*

'_It's been three months and no single letter from him,_' Tomoyo thought as she looked at her best friend's beaming face.

"_I promise I would, Sakura-chan!_" Tomoyo took Sakura's hand and started to walk towards the direction of their school.

'_Unlike somebody._'

* * *

"_I'm home!_" Sakura arrived home later than her usual time. She spent her time during the afternoon at Tomoyo's mansion. She seemed to enjoy herself that she didn't notice that it was already late.

As she entered the living room, she noticed that the window was open. What surprised her is the fact that there was a silver owl sitting by the window sill. Tied at the talons of the owl was a letter; the same letter she was looking for earlier this morning.

"_Weird, you were the owl I saw yesterday_" Sakura said to the owl as she took the letter, the owl cooing in return. As she looked at the address, her eyes widened when she noticed that her supposed address changed from before.

MS. SAKURA KINOMOTO  
LIVING ROOM WINDOW OF THE KINOMOTO RESIDENCES  
TOMOEDA, JAPAN

"_Now this is totally weird._" Sakura gave the owl in front of her a puzzled look. The owl simply flapped its wings.

"_And why can I understand English?_" She wiped her eyes then shook her head, but then the address is still in English, and she still can understand it.

"_I'm home! I brought food!_" Suddenly, the front door clicked open. The beautiful owl in front of her, as if sensing danger, suddenly took off as the door closed.

It was Touya.

He removed his shoes and went straight to the kitchen. He placed the food on the table, then caught a glimpse of Sakura near the living room window.

"_Oi, kaijuu, what are you_-" Touya then saw Sakura holding a strange envelope. Panicking, he rushed to Sakura and grabbed the envelope she was holding.

"_Oi! Onii-chan! That's mine!_" Sakura tried grabbing the letter back, but to no avail, as her big brother was much taller that her. Touya started tearing Sakura's letter in front of her.

Sakura couldn't do anything about it but cry. A mix of anger and sadness rushed over her. She couldn't understand why Touya had ripped the letter in front of her. Ducking her head low, she didn't notice the tears that started falling from her eyes.

"_Look, Sakura,_" Toya tried to explain to Sakura everything, messing Sakura's hair in the process. "T_his is for your own – ACK!"_ But the moment his finger touched Sakura's hair, he got electrocuted. Soon, he started seeing sparks around his little sister.

"_You're so unfair!_" Sakura glared at Touya for a second, then ran upstairs to her room, taking of the electricity from the other appliances. Still shocked, Touya tried to catch her, but Sakura just ran off too fast. He just let a sigh escape from him while looking at the food he brought home.

"_So much for crab croquettes_" Touya's eyes wandered at the ceiling where Sakura's room is.

* * *

Sakura just cried for as long as she didn't know while Keroberos tried to console her.

"_Sakura, don't cry. Knowing your onii-chan, he sure has a reason to do it._" Kero wasn't sure about it, though.

"_If he does, then why not tell me? Surely I would understand onii-chan, would I?_" Sakura still remembered how her onii-chan cruelly ripped off the letter for her.

"_Well..._" Keroberos tried to explain. "_You know overprotective he is of you._"

It was too much for her. She started crying herself to sleep. Her guardian beast just looked at her since he figured that he can't do much about it, no matter how hard he tries. He flew off to Sakura's bedside, hugging her with his little paws, while his mistress cried herself to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 2 here! I was thinking of publishing 3 chapters during the week without reviews. I figured that it would be good if I publish the first few chapters of the story so that it would be enough for readers to review. So please don't hesitate to review! Reviews are highly appreciated.


	4. Chapter III

A/N: Thank you so much for taking your time reading this! I do hope you stick with me as this story progresses. I'm still a newbie though (this is my first story by the way) so I would really appreciate reviews. Thank you so much in advance! Sorry if the updates are a bit late. College really isn't a very good friend you know.

Catrina7077 &amp; misthafalls: Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm happy to know that you like it! I promise that I won't let you down :D

I've decided to drop the title thing. I really am not good with it after all.

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"_Text spoken in Japanese_"

'_Thoughts in Japanese_'

*Flashback*

(Kero if he's in his plushie form, Keroberos if he's in his true form, just to avoid confusion)

* * *

Midnight. Keroberos sat at the roof of his mistress' residence. Now in his true form, he stared at the full moon with worry on his face.

"_I thought you wouldn't show up._" He said, not removing his eyes from the moon. Suddenly, there was a shadow behind him that looked like an angel. Keroberos knew, even without looking, who the owner of the shadow is.

"_Yue._"

Looking at the window of Sakura's bedroom, Keroberos sighed, then, he turned around to glare at the beautiful stature that was Yue.

"_Do not look at me like that._" Yue huffed while he looked at the same window Keroberos was looking at earlier.

"_You never show up in time, Yue._" Keroberos gnarled. Yue just shrugged.

"_It would be hard for you as well if your false form slept for a whole day yesterday._" Yue said, nonchalantly, hoping to calm Keroberos down.

"_So, the snow rabbit was affected after all__._" Keroberos frowned. He then flew towards the window where Sakura was. Yue followed him.

Since the window was open, the two guardians decided to enter the bedroom. Putting their wings away, they stood by Sakura's bedside.

Sakura was sleeping peacefully. She was still wearing her school uniform though, since she felt too tired to stand up and change outfit. Her star key was dangling near her neck, reflecting the moonlight.

"_What happened to her? Yesterday, I was so surprised that I found myself weaker than before I had Touya's power._" Yue touched his mistress' hair.

"_She said she had this dream with a green light with it. And ..._" Keroberos trailed off, looking at the drawer where the Sakura cards were.

"_And?_"

"_She ... she died ... for a moment._"

"_What?!_" Yue hissed, snapping his head towards Keroberos.

"_Hey, hey! Easy there!_" Keroberos stepped back a little, seeing Yue pissed off.

"_If you're gonna ask me, I don't really know what happened._"

"_Liar._"

Keroberos flinched.

"_We both know, Keroberos, what is about to happen._" Yue shifted his gaze towards the moon. "_Is this what you want now, Clow?_"

'_You would understand soon enough, when your master fulfils my wish._'

"_What should we understand? What does Clow mean?_" Keroberos looked at Sakura with worry in his eyes. "_Is it ... something about ... him?_"

"_He's supposed to be taken care of. It shouldn't concern our mistress._"

Yue headed towards the window, preparing to leave.

"_No, Yue._" Keroberos said. "_It concerns her. This is what Clow is talking about."_

Before leaving, Yue looked at Sakura's sleeping figure with soft eyes. '_She's not part of the prophecy. But why?_'

"_Just so you know, she received the letter._"

Yue flinched, then he left, hesitantly.

'_What are you up to now, Clow?_'

* * *

7 a.m. Sakura woke up the next morning, Friday, puffy-eyed. She turned to her left to find Kero sleeping by her side.

"_Arigatou, Kero-chan._" Sakura whispered to Kero. She rose up from bed, washed her face fixed herself and dressed for school.

'_I'm_ okay.' She thought to herself while looking at the mirror, then she went to breakfast.

When she went down, she noticed there were luggages all over the living room. She turned to the kitchen and ignored Touya, who was cooking breakfast. All he could do was look at her and frown.

"_I see you two are awake. Good morning._" Fujitaka Kinomoto emerged from the living room, surprising Sakura.

"_Otou-san! I thought you wouldn't be home until next week?_" Sakura hugged her father tight. She missed her father so much; Fujitaka was away for almost 2 weeks already. She then loosened her grip, prompting her father to stand up.

"_Well,_" Fujitaka fixed his eyeglass. "_I was told that we would have …. an emergency visitor._"

As soon as Fujitaka mentioned the word visitor, the doorbell rang. Touya, who followed Sakura to the living room, suddenly glared at the door.

"_I'll get it._" Sakura rushed to open the door; there was no one there. But when she looked at the mailbox, she was shocked; their mailbox was bulging with letters addressed to her, the same letter Touya ripped last night.

"_HOEEEE! So many letters!_" Sakura ran inside their house to the living room, holding all the letters.

"_Wow, it looks like the sender is agitated to send those letter._" Fujitaka said in a rather calm tone. "_Haven't you read the letter?_" Sakura turned to her father, rather surprised. Touya went to see what the fuss is about, only to find Sakura holding so much letters.

"_NO!_" Toya ran to Sakura, trying to grab the letters. Sakura gave them voluntarily to him, leaving only one letter for herself.

"_You can have the rest to rip,_" Sakura said as she glared at Touya. He could only glare back.

"_Give me that! It's not for you!_" Touya's shout woke Keroberos up who was upstairs.

"_Aren't you reading?! It says 'Ms. Sakura Kinomoto'!_" Sakura shouted back while keeping the letter safe behind her.

"_You don't understand! You have no idea what this is about!_"

"_Touya!_" Fujitaka shouted. His children stared at him; it was the first time that their father shouted at them.

"_But, otou-san, you don't know how dangerous these letters are! You have no idea ho-_"

"_I know it, Touya!_" Touya was surprised; his father telling them that he knows about the letters must be a joke. Sakura could only stare back and forth at her father and brother.

"_These letters are the reason why I came home early._" Fujitaka calmly said. "_No wonder there are so many letters, you haven't read it. You should have read that letter at least three days ago._" Sakura raised her eyebrow.

"_You knew about this, otou-san? I thought you're here because of a visitor?_" Sakura asked. She looked at Touya, who has his mouth opened.

"_You remember? I-I thought -_"

"You are mistaken." Suddenly, the three gasped at the random English voice. They tried looking where the voice came from. Sakura suddenly remembered that she didn't close the door. She went to see if anyone entered their home. At the doorway, she saw a cat.

"_Hoe? What are you doing here, cat-san?_" She lifted the orange tabby cat onto her arms then went back inside their house. The cat just looked at her back. Fujitaka suddenly went and closed the door.

"I didn't expect you to see us sooner," Fujitaka said in English. Looking at the cat, he smiled, "Minerva." Touya ran quickly to the door, then gasped at the sight of the cat.

The cat suddenly leaped from Sakura's arms and unto the direction of where Touya is. Suddenly, the cat she saw wasn't a cat anymore; the cat became an old woman.

"I see you haven't changed a bit, Mr. Touya Kinomoto." The old woman said in English. There was awkward silence in the house.

"_HOEEEEEEE!_"

* * *

The four of them were sitting down at the living room. Touya glared at the old woman in front of him.

"Have some tea, Minerva." Fujitaka placed a teacup in front of Minerva, who nodded in response.

Sakura looked at the woman in front of them with curiosity. She was wearing an odd looking green robe and (of all the things to wear, Sakura thought) a witch's hat. Her general appearance was really odd, making Sakura uncomfortable in her presence.

"You've been recovering your memories lately." Minerva said as she sipped tea.

"_What memories, otou-san?_" Sakura asked her father. Sakura yelped then covered her mouth; she suddenly realized that she can understand the visitor even though she was speaking in English.

'Hoe? How could I understand her perfectly even though I haven't studied English?' Sakura pondered to herself while giving the letter a puzzled look. She didn't realize that she was thinking in English.

"I suppose your power enables you to translate words." Minerva suddenly looked at Sakura, as if reading her mind. Sakura could only blush.

"_A-ano, who are you?_" Sakura asked in Japanese. The old woman raised her eyebrow.

"_Sakura_," Fujitaka butted in, "_try speaking in English._"

"_How do I do that, otou-san? I haven't studied the language at all._"

"_Just try it, Sakura-san._" Fujitaka smiled at his daughter.

"Who are you?" Realizing that she spoke in perfect English, Sakura covered her mouth, seemingly shocked and tensed.

"Why cover your mouth, dear?" Minerva smiled at Sakura, who relaxed a bit.

"Before I answer that, though," Minerva fixed her eyeglasses. "Would you please open the letter you are holding?" She motioned her hand to the direction of the letter Sakura was holding. Touya scowled.

"And I suppose you know any better, Mr. Kinomoto?" She glared at Touya, who sank at his chair, not understanding what she said. He just melted with her glare. Sakura just looked at them. When Minerva looked back at Sakura, Sakura blushed then proceeded with opening the letter. She carefully removed the beautiful red seal in front of the envelope, then carefully took the paper out of it. It wasn't a piece of paper though; it was a piece of parchment. She then proceeded to read the letter.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY  
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Kinomoto,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

Sakura raised her eyebrow as she scanned the other page of the letter; it contained the required materials and supplies for all first year students. She continued reading in amazement. "_Amazing._" She whispered.

"You are, uhh" Sakura, turned her head to their visitor, "Minerva McGonagall-san?"

"Yes, I am, Miss Kinomoto." Minerva chuckled. "If you don't mind," she suddenly looked at Fujitaka, who seemed pleased with Sakura, "I would like to bring Sakura with me two days after, if she decides to come with me. You don't mind, do you?"

"Oh no, not at all." Fujitaka smiled back at Minerva. "I know you would take care of Sakura there."

"_Hold it!_" Toya suddenly shouted in Japanese. Everybody's attention went to him. "_Whatever you are talking about, otou-san, I'm not liking it._" Toya looked at his father, pleadingly. "_I'm not letting go of Sakura. Please, otou-san, don't do this._"

"_Why not, onii-chan?_" Sakura questioned her brother sternly. Toya looked at her with pleading eyes.

"_Because..._" Toya trailed off a bit. He couldn't believe that it would end up this way. "_Be-because, I …. okaa-san..._"

"_Your mother would be happy if Sakura goes, Toya,_" Fujitaka butted in. He stared at Toya, then smiled. "_I'm sure she would be._"

Touya looked back at his father. He was unsure if he would let go of Sakura or not. He crossed his arms then looked at Sakura.

"_Promise me you'll write always. And don't go running into trouble._" Toya looked away. Fujitaka then smiled at Minerva. "I guess she would be coming with you"

Sakura suddenly stood up and hugged her brother tightly, who yelped at the sudden hug.

"_Arigatou, onii-chan._"

* * *

"_Oooooohhhhhh!_" Tomoyo's eyes sparkled at Sakura, who sweatdropped.

It was the last day of class at Tomoeda Elementary School. Tomoyo and Sakura were in classroom 5-2 30 minutes before homeroom period, making them the first ones to arrive at the classroom. Sakura told Tomoyo everything about Professor McGonagall's visit yesterday. She discovered that her flight with the professor was in the same plane as Tomoyo's, making her happy.

"_A-ano, Tomoyo-chan, it's really not a big deal, is it?_" Sakura nervously laughed.

"_WHAT?! My dear Sakura-chan going to Europe the same day with me to go to a prestigious magic school not a big deal? You are the most powerful sorcerer in the whole world! It is a big deal!_" Sakura twitched at the mention of '_the most powerful sorcerer_', she then frowned.

"_About that, Tomoyo-chan,_" Sakura stuttered. She tried to tell Tomoyo about her dream the other night; how she "died" and saw Clow Reed and her mother. Thinking about how Tomoyo might react about it, she decided not to tell her about it. "_Nothing_," Sakura tried to dismiss it before Tomoyo pressed on the issue.

Although she knew that Sakura was hiding something, Tomoyo didn't show it. She didn't want Sakura to worry about it, after all. She changed the topic immediately.

"_So,_" Tomoyo cleared her throat, "_you mentioned that you discovered that you can speak and understand English?_" she asked Sakura.

"_Hai! McGonagall-sensei told me that it's because I possess a great amount of power that translation is relatively easy for me._" Sakura explained.

"So you don't need to take English classes like me? How lucky of you!" Tomoyo suddenly squealed in English. Sakura looked at her, surprised.

"_You studied English?_" Sakura said in Japanese. She gave Tomoyo a surprised look.

"Ohohohoho, so you really do understand English?" Tomoyo looked so pleased. "Why don't we speak in English right now?"

"Well …." Sakura started speaking in English, she didn't know how, though. "I guess this would be a good time to practice." Sakura smiled at her best friend. The classroom door suddenly opened; their classmates were already there, along with their homeroom teacher.

"We should talk more later, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo whispered at Sakura.

"Okay!"

Their last day in school ended rather quickly. Tomoyo and Sakura decided to spend their time together for the very last time in Tomoeda, as if it was the last time they would see each other.


	5. Chapter IV

A/N: Thank you for asking! In this fic, Clow Reed lived for at least 2 centuries, but remained looking like a normal 20 year-old guy. How and when the prologue happened will be revealed soon in this story (don't know when, but stick with me). He died at least 50 years before the current events of the fic, but was born for like centuries ago (He was the strongest sorcerer during his time,after all). I hope that answers your question :)

If there are more questions, or thoughts about the fic, don't hesitate to ask.

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"_Text spoken in Japanese_"

'_Thoughts in Japanese_'

*Flashback*

* * *

It was the night before Sakura's flight to England. Touya sat in the couch in the living room, staring at the picture of his mom, Nadeshiko Fujitaka, that was sitting in a table across the room. He was drinking tea when his father came to the living room.

"_You're still up, otou-san? It's already 10._" He asked. Fujitaka sat beside him.

"_I helped Sakura pack her things for tomorrow. Don't worry, she's asleep now._" Fujitaka smiled while looking at Nadeshiko's picture.

"_I'd never thought you'd agree to let her go, Touya._"

"_And I'd never thought you'd remember all of these things._"

Fujitaka stood up and went to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he came back with a tray with a teapot, a cup, and some cookies.

"_Here, you might be hungry, and if you want to refill your cup with tea._" He smiled while he placed the tray on the table in front of Touya.

"_Thank you, otou-san._" Touya refilled his cup with tea then took a cookie. "_Since when?_"

Fujitaka looked at Touya with a raised eyebrow.

"_Your memories._"

"_Ah. It started with the incident at Tokyo Tower, with Eriol-san._" Fujitaka started. Touya listened eagerly as he munched a cookie.

"_It was a slow process. I didn't remember all at once. It was until I saw your mother again that stream of memories flooded my mind._"

The two went silent for a few minutes. Fujitaka looked at the photo frame, reminiscing.

"_Have you seen everything, Touya? During that night?_" He said, not looking at Touya.

"_It was a nightmare I'd rather forget._" Touya looked at his cup of tea, his eyes were brimming with tears.

"_I'm sorry, Touya._"

"_It's not your fault, otou-san._" Touya smiled at his father. "_It's already 8 years since it happened. Look at where we are now, we are all happy and ..._" Touya trailed off, remembering that Sakura was leaving tomorrow.

"_Sakura-san will be fine, Touya, I'm telling you._" Fujitaka looked at the time. It was already 11 in the evening. He stood up and started to pick up the cups when he stopped and looked at Touya.

"_Why did you let her go, all of a sudden, anyway?_" Touya stiffened.

"_I want her to be occupied as much as possible._"

"_Why is that?_"

"_So that she won't have time thinking about the brat._" He hissed the last word as if it was venom in his mouth. Fujitaka roared with laughter.

"_You're the same as ever,_ _Touya_." Fujitaka then left the living room.

'_And I can't really do anything about it. Sakura has to go to Hogwarts after all. She has to._'

* * *

Sakura woke up when sun rays beamed her face. Startled, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at her side. All of her baggages were at the side of her bed. When she rose, she saw Kero sitting up at her desk.

"_Yerr really leaving now, mistress._" Kero frowned. He was disappointed that he wasn't allowed to come with Sakura.

*FLASHBACK*

"No matter whut happens, I'll be watching 'ya!" Kero, in English, said to Sakura in a dignified manner.

"I'm afraid that wouldn't be happening, Keroberos" Minerva, suddenly standing behind Kero, said. "You are not allowed in the school premises."

"B-but …. why? I can't leave my mistress alone!" Kero said, pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, Keroberos, but you simply cannot." Minerva frowned as Keroberos sulked and went upstairs.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"_Enough with the 'mistress', Kero-chan,_" Sakura patted Kero then took him with her, "_and_ _it's ok, it's not that we won't be able to see each other again._" Sakura's reassurance made Kero smile.

_"Just promise you'll write to us, mistress._" Yue, with Toya, stood at Sakura's door, making Sakura and Kero yelp.

"_Of course, Yue._" Sakura smiled at the two men at her door. "_And please, just please, stop the mistress thing. It makes me feel like an old lady._" Sakura laughed nervously.

"_Yeah, the title mistress doesn't suit a kaijuu_." Touya sneered at a steaming Sakura. Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck Touya's back. He yelped with pain.

"_I'm not a monster._" Sakura simply said. Yue smiled a little bit when Touya held onto his shoulder.

"_It's sad though,_" Sakura then looked at Yue, "_that neither of you can come with me._" She then went and changed clothing when Touya closed the door.

"_We trust your judgements, mistress, that is why I'm confident even when you are not with us._" Yue said with his usual serious face when Sakura already changed clothing and started carrying her luggage out of her room. Yue assisted her.

'_When will I have Yue call me with my name?_' Sakura thought while looking at Yue.

The four of them went down to eat breakfast. Yue, now as Yukito, sat down beside Sakura, facing Touya. Fujitaka then laid five plates on the table before sitting down beside Touya, facing Sakura. Kero then sat down in a little makeshift chair that Sakura made for him. Fujitaka cooked pancakes, eggs and bacon, making Kero extra happy.

All of them ate quietly. The sound all of them can only hear was the sound of their chopsticks. Finally, Fujitaka decided to break the ice.

"_So, Sakura-san,_" he turned his head to Sakura, "_you are with Tomoyo in this flight, am I correct?_"

"_Hai! Tomoyo-chan will pick me up here since McGonagall-sensei told me that she would meet me up at the airport._" Sakura beamed a smile at her father.

"_That's great, Sakura-san,_" Fujitaka smile back. "_One more thing, make sure not to call Minerva, McGonagall-sensei,_" Fujitaka then shifted to English, "but rather, address her and all of the teachers there as professor, okay?"

"Okay!" Sakura answered back in English. She was getting used to speak the language since after Tomoyo discovered that she can understand English, she always conversed to Sakura in complete English.

As soon as all of them finished their breakfast, the doorbell rang.

"_Must be Tomoyo-chan!_" Sakura opened the door to see Tomoyo at the door, her bodyguards at the gate, and a limousine parked in front of their house.

"_Hoee? Tomoyo-chan, is that yours?_" Sakura looked at the limousine, dumbfounded.

"_Yes! Are you ready?_" Tomoyo asked.

"Yes!" Sakura beamed a smile at Tomoyo.

* * *

After putting her luggages in the limousine and saying her final goodbyes to her family and guardians, Sakura and Tomoyo headed down to the airport.

"So your mom's already in England?" Sakura asked.

"Yup! I was supposed to be with her in her flight but then she told me to finish 5th grade first before leaving." Tomoyo started to have stars in her eyes. "And, I'm so happy that we are in the same plane! Did you know I changed seats just for me to sit with you?" Tomoyo giggled while Sakura sweatdropped

"Say, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo suddenly asked Sakura, "why did Kero_-chan_ and Yue_-san_ spoke formally in front of you again all of a sudden?" Sakura tilted her head a bit.

"Well …." Sakura started, smiling. "Kero_-chan_ reacted when Mcg ... Professor McGonagall commented on how he disrespected me as a mistress." Sakura sweatdropped. "As for Yue_-san_, he always addressed me as mistress no matter how many times I told him not to." She sighed.

"Oh yeah, Yue-_san_ always did." Tomoyo smiled. "But then, Kero_-chan_ was hit by the remark? That's new." Tomoyo and Sakura laughed.

"Hmmm, but I wonder how Mr. Fujitaka is connected to all of this." Tomoyo thought aloud. "I always thought that he was non-magical of some sort before Hiiragiwaza_-kun _gave half of his magic to him."

"Yeah, I wonder too," Sakura looked at the window. "I guess I have to ask him someday, and maybe ask Eriol_-kun_ too."

* * *

The rest of the trip was silent, with Sakura admiring all she saw outside and Tomoyo videotaping her. Before they knew it, they were already at the airport.

Sakura spotted Professor McGonagall just outside the airport grounds. She was only carrying a small bag. Sakura also noticed that the old lady was wearing a rather odd robe, though other people didn't notice it.

"Professor!" Sakura called out. She ran towards the professor while Tomoyo followed.

"Hello, Miss Kinomoto. I see you are with your muggle friend." Professor McGonagall smiled at Tomoyo.

"Muggle?" Sakura asked. Before Professor McGonagall could answer, Tomoyo greeted her back.

"Yes, professor. I believe we are in the same plane. I'm Daidouji Tomoyo and I am Sakura's friend." Tomoyo smiled. With all of their luggages out of the limousine, they then proceeded to the booths to check in.

"What's a muggle?" Sakura asked again.

"Sakura-chan, a muggle is someone who doesn't have magical powers, like me." Tomoyo answered Sakura as they went to check in their luggages.

"Where have you learned that, Miss Daidouji?" The professor asked.

"I did a little research. Ohohoho." Tomoyo answered.

"I haven't seen one muggle that is interested in magic and openly accepts it immediately, Miss Daidouji. Miss Kinomoto is rather lucky to have befriended you." Professor McGonagall commented.

"Ohoho, it's Sakura-chan after all. Too bad I won't be able to see the school itself." Tomoyo frowned a bit. "But at least I'm on the same plane with you!" Professor McGonagall can only look at the starry-eyed girl with wonder. Sakura sweatdropped.

The three of them checked in and boarded the plane with ease. During the first few hours of the trip, Sakura and Tomoyo talked about how excited they are to step in England for the first time. During the travel, Tomoyo fell asleep while Sakura turned her attention to the professor beside her.

"_A-ano_," Sakura broke the ice. "I didn't have the chance to ask you, but, what exactly is Hogwarts?" The professor looked amused.

"I knew you were going to ask." The professor smiled. "Hogwarts is a school for aspiring witches and wizards. They train and study magic there." Sakura looked rather confused.

"Then, you must be mistaken! I'm not a witch!" Sakura covered her mouth, afraid that others might hear her.

"Don't worry about the people. I've put an eavesdropping spell so they won't be able to hear." Sakura relaxed.

"I-I'm no witch." Sakura frowned. "I'm a-a s-..." Sakura trailed off. She didn't want to be called a sorcerer in the first place.

"It's fine, Miss Kinomoto, we know." Sakura lifted her head. "That's even one of the reasons why we invited you over."

"But, why?"

The professor frowned. "We were afraid that you might lose your life if not taken of and watched over." Sakura flinched.

"B-but, I'm p-perfectly fine, see? I can take care of myself." Sakura laughed nervously; she knew and Kero kept telling her the dangers of being a sorceress. The lady from Hong Kong was one good example.

Minerva glared at her for a few seconds then laughed. Sakura became confused with her.

"You are such a terrible liar, like your dear mother." Minerva smiled and looked up as if reminiscing.

"You knew my mother?"

"Of course I do! She was one of my favorite students after all." Minerva touched the tip of Sakura's nose with her index finger.

"She was a student at Hogwarts?! Hoeee ..." She slumped back to her seat, feeling sleepy.

"Didn't you ask your father about this?"

"No. I was too excited for this trip, I forgot to ask him some things." Sakura yawned while the professor chuckled.

"I'm sure you'd be able to ask your father about this one of these days, but first you have to rest. Now go to sleep. We won't be arriving soon."

Before Sakura knew it, she fell asleep.

* * *

Their landing went smooth as they expected. Even their check out went smoothly. After claiming their baggages, they went to see Tomoyo off as she was picked by their family limousine up.

"Always write to me, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo hugged Sakura for the last time before entering the limousine. Sakura waved at the departing limousine while holding a piece of paper containing Tomoyo's address.

"Let's go, Miss Kinomoto. Somebody is waiting for you as well." Sakura unknowingly released a small "_hoe_e...", which the professor found amusing.

"Uhh, professor? Why did we take a normal plane?" Sakura can't help but ask. She was expecting more than the normal travel, like teleporting and the like.

"Well, we are avoiding unwanted attention, aren't we?" The professor answered. Sakura, although not understanding what she meant, nodded.

"Wait, but your clothes sure attract attention..." When she realized what he said, Sakura covered her mouth, her face flushed red. "I'm sorry." Her voice was barely audible.

"It's alright." Minerva laughed at the sight of Sakura being embarassed. "Magic can do an awful lot of things. Come with me now." They walked away from the airport.

Sakura noticed a limousine parked near the airport. But she failed to notice that they were headed that way.

"We are going to picked up by this?" Sakura's jaw dropped when she realized. '_This trip just gets better and better._'

"Isn't it neat, Sakura_-san_?" Sakura yelped at the familiar voice. She turned to see a boy with dark hair and glasses.

"Eriol_-kun_!" Sakura hugged Eriol tight. Eriol smiled, looking amused. Sakura then broke from the hug.

"Wait ... you know each other?" Sakura was surprised to know that Eriol and Professor McGonagall actually know each other.

"Well, we've known each other for quite a while." Eriol dismissively said while taking Sakura's luggage into the limousine.

"Well then," the professor cleared her throat, "I would see you in a month and a half, and I expect Eriol to take care of you while you prepare for the term. I better get going." Suddenly, she turned into a cat then disappeared.

"Hoeee ..." Sakura was still surprised that the professor turns into a cat. "_Eriol-kun, how did you know each other?_" Sakura switched to Japanese.

"_Hmmm ... It's a long story._" Eriol smiled while assisting Sakura into the limousine. The limousine then took them to Eriol's manor, where she rested with Eriol, Nakuru, Spinel Sun and Kaho.


	6. Chapter V

Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the late update. School's been tough the whole two weeks and there was this battle of the bands I had to attend to. Hopefully I won't be busy any more after all the fuss. This chapter's longer than the others, so I hope you enjoy it :D

About Kero-chan, he might appear in Hogwarts but not this early. I'd also explain why he wasn't allowed at Hogwarts, sometime during the fic. Just stay tuned ;)

Thank you so much for taking time reading and reviewing!

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"_Text spoken in Japanese_"

'_Thoughts in Japanese_'

*Flashback*

* * *

Sakura's stay in England so far was pretty much uneventful, except for the occasional tours that Eriol gave to give her a little more insight about England. Sometimes, she and Eriol would meet up with Tomoyo and her mom for lunch and dinners. But she never heard from the professor that accompanied her to England, and she only received a few mails from her family and friends in Tomoeda. Seeing Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon everyday in Eriol's mansion reminds her so much of Keroberos and Yue, which makes her miss home so much more.

"_It's too bad they can't go with you, Sakura-san._" Eriol would say to her when he notices Sakura's mood drop in seeing the constant bickers of his two guardians.

"_No, it's all right, even though we're apart, they're still here, I can feel them._" Sakura would close her eyes and smile, although in her mind, she still couldn't understand why she can't bring at least one of them along, even if she insisted hiding Kero-_chan_ as a stuffed animal.

"_You're in a world of wizards and witches now, while we are sorcerers. You must never, ever, reveal yourself as a sorceress. In this way, you are safe. Your guardians are too much of a give-away._" Eriol would always warn her about pretending to be a wizard to keep her safe. It confused Sakura but she complied.

'It's fine, Miss Kinomoto, we know. That's even one of the reasons why we invited you over.'

If one reason why she was invited to Hogwarts was because she was a sorceress, why should she pretend to be a wizard or a witch? And what are the other possible reasons why she was invited over? The thought of a professor coming over to the other side of the globe to invite her; something big could be happening. Or maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way, Sakura was still confused about the recent events.

'We were afraid that you might lose your life if not taken care of and watched over.'

Thinking about the professor's words, Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. She was always in the midst of danger, but losing her life was not something she would think about during those times. Is there somebody after her? She hopes not. But then, there was this dream of hers.

For countless times, Sakura tried so hard to talk to Eriol about her dream from before, but to no avail. There were numerous times that when Sakura was about to speak up, something comes up. An example was during dinner when Eriol's guardian were not around. When Sakura started speaking up, Suppie suddenly busted in, drunk with sweets, while Nakuru came in chasing him. The night ended in total chaos, much to Sakura's disappointment.

Another was when Sakura and Eriol were in his study. Eriol was practicing some western spells when suddenly a spell went out of control, just when Sakura was about to speaking (a/n: poor Sakura and her timing). Little by little, Sakura would try and open up to Eriol, but to avail. She tried and tried every single day until she gave up, telling herself that next time would be better and that she should enjoy her stay before the term starts. She then forgot about her dream.

It was already early August. Sakura sat idly by the window of the living room in Eriol's mansion, looking at a garden nearby. Eriol went in the living room, fully dressed, then chuckled at the sight of Sakura happily looking at the window.

"_Sakura-san, let us buy your school supplies today._" Sakura snapped her head towards Eriol.

"_Hoee? Oh, I almost forgot about that. Let me change clothes and grab the list._" Sakura hurriedly went upstairs and changed clothes. She wore an orange t-shirt, light blue shorts, and long black socks that reached her knees. She quickly grabbed her bag where her money and the list of supplies were in, then rushed downstairs.

"_Impressive, Sakura-san._" Eriol mused as he motioned Sakura out of the door. Once outside the mansion, he lead Sakura to the limousine.

"_So Eriol-kun, do you know any place where we can get these? It's odd if there some random, uhhh, cauldron__, in some street here._" Eriol chuckled while he opened the limousine door.

"_I know just the place, Sakura-san, don't worry_."

It was a long drive in England. Sakura, although she went to countless tours for the past few weeks, found herself fascinated with the British way of things. She looked so happy looking at the view outside the window. After a few minutes, they were in a pretty poor-lighted street

"_Leaky Cauldron? Wait, I've never been in this area before? Eriol-kun?_" Sakura tilted her head to the left, looking at Eriol.

"_It's because I didn't take you here, yet, just today. This is a special place. Come, we've got shopping to do." _Eriol smiled as he hopped off the limousine and offered his hand to Sakura, who took it while blushing.

The two entered the inn silently. Sakura gasped as she entered in a diferrent 'world', as if entering another dimension. Eriol watched her with delight.

"This is a place for wizards and witches. No normal person can enter here, nor they can see the place immediately." Sakura nodded in understanding, still amazed with the wizards and witches eating and drinking in the inn.

"Mr. Hiiragizawa! Good to see you here!" A man in the counter greeted Eriol. "And who could the little beauty be? First year?" Sakura nodded nervously.

"Ahh, Tom, it's good to see you. Looking good as always." Eriol smiled then turned to the guy near the counter who was wearing a purple head turban (a/n: honestly, I don't know how to call it hahaha). "And hello to you, Professor Quirrell."

"H-h-hello t-to you too, Mr. Hiiragizawa." Quirrell nodded smiled nervously.

"This is Sakura Kinomoto, from Japan, and I'm here to help her buy her supplies for her first year." Eriol motioned his hand to Sakura, who blushed and smiled.

"Hmmm, you remind me of a student long ago, can't pinpoint who." Tom, the innkeeper, stroked his chin. Sakura looked at him "Anyway, you excited for your first year, eh?" Sakura nodded shyly. "Well then, off you go to Diagon Alley!" Tom motioned his hand towards a small door at the end of the inn.

"Thank you, Tom. Let's go, Sakura-_san_." Eriol and Sakura walked towards the door. Suddenly, Sakura felt light headed and started to tremble while walking. As they entered into the door and out of the inn, Sakura leaned on the wall, breathing heavily. Eriol looked at her with concern.

"_Sakura-san, are you all right?_"

"_H-hai. I just got a little dizzy, but I think I can manage._" Sakura smiled, and then the pain in her head was gone. She then realized that they were in a dead end.

"_Hoee? Should we go back? It's a dead end._"

"_It's fine, Sakura-san._" Eriol took a piece of stick from his pocket then started tapping a pattern on the blocks. Immediately after he stopped tapping, the wall started to shift violently, revealing a hidden street from behind the wall.

"_Sakura-san, welcome to Diagon Alley._" Eriol stepped into the street.

"_HOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_"

* * *

Diagon Alley was bustling with wizards and witches, whether students or not. It is really different from the previous alleyways Sakura has been into. She looked on her left and right to see shops she has never seen before; shops that offers broomsticks, owls and different kinds of books. She also noticed that her clothes stands out in the crowd, as most of the crowd wore robes, even Eriol. She looked embarrassed when Eriol looked at her.

"_Don't worry, Sakura-san, they won't really notice you not wearing a robe now._" Sakura relaxed and smile, but then she realized something.

"_Eriol-kun, I think I don't have the currency here? I only have 1000 yen with me. Is that enough?_"

"_Well, Sakura-san, I think you won't be needing that._" They started walking towards a white building with an inscription on top. 'Gringotts', she read.

As they entered the building, Sakura yelped when she saw who, or what, was in the counters.

"_They're goblins. Not the cheerful type._" Eriol whispered in explanation to her as he held her shoulder. They went straight to the big podium an the end of the hallway. She stood behind Eriol who cleared his throat to grab the goblin's attention.

"Good morning. Miss Kinomoto here would like to request a withdrawal."

"Kinomoto?" The goblin's ears perked up and looked at Sakura quizzically, who bowed down in respect.

"Such respectful little lass, just like her father." The goblin smiled.

'_Hoeee? He knows my father?_' Before Sakura can ask, Eriol gave the goblin a silver key. Nodding, the goblin lead them to the vaults.

There was a cart waiting for them once they got inside what looked like a big dungeon. Sakura stared at it before she noticed Eriol offering his hand for Sakura to grab on, obviously they would be riding the cart to her supposed vault. Reluctantly, she grabbed Eriol's hand and hopped on to the cart while the goblin followed her behind with a lamp and the silver key on hand.

"Hold on tight, this would be ugly for a first-timer." The goblin said. As soon as the three of them sat comfortably in the cart, it immediately zoomed into the depths of the dungeons.

"_HOEEEEEEEEEEEEEE__!_"

When the cart suddenly halted, Sakura's eyes were already and her head was spinning. Eriol and the goblin, on the other hand, sat there as if nothing happened.

"Vault 777." The goblin hopped out of the cart and motioned Eriol to give him the lamp the was hanging by the cart. Eriol took the lamp and Sakura's hand and pulled himself and her out of the cart. Sakura leaned on Eriol for balance as she was still dizzy.

They walked towards the vault. The steel doors were blue and yellow, just like the Kinomoto's house back in Tomoeda. There were different flower and book designs carved into the door. In the lower center, there was a picture of the sun and the moon together, which looked like Eriol's key staff, and when it was pushed, a small keyhole is revealed.

The goblin took the key from his pocket and placed it in the keyhole perfectly. He wriggled his wrist and the vault opened, prompting Eriol to tell Sakura to go in.

"_It's from your parents, go in._" Eriol whispered as Sakura entered the vault nervously.

The vault was dark, but it gave off a very light aura that made Sakura relaxed. When she adjusted her vision, she gasped at the bulging gold coins that were stored in the vault. In the center of the vault, there was a podium with a little pink chest on top of it.

'_I'm this rich in this world? I really have to ask dad about this._' Sakura mused to herself as she grabbed two handfuls of gold coins for her school supplies and placed them in her purse. After that, she shifted her attention to the pink chest.

She opened it and saw a small parchment inside. It looked like a letter to her, so she opened it, and as soon she read it, her tears started brimming in her eyes.

_My dear child,_

_If you are reading this, then you must be of proper age now. I knew Touya won't come here so I chose to write to you instead. I'm so sorry if this is too much for you, but it is for the best. Your father and I left this fortune for you; although we really are not that rich in our future home, but in this world, we are providing everything for you._

_I am writing this before we leave England. We are going back to Japan for safety. The wizarding world really isn't safe any more with him around; his evil antics are widespread already, and it wouldn't be safe for you and Touya to be here. We can't always assure your safety, since he's behind our tail already._

_I knew you would be a girl, so I would decide to name you Sakura; the cherry blossoms that brings life in spring. I know that your arrival in this world wouldn't go unnoticed. I sense great power in you, but I don't want to risk you fighting for your life in such young age, that's why I wouldn't let you grow in the wizarding world. When the right time comes, you would be sent to the same school I was in before to help you in your journey and understand everything your father and I have gone through. Sir Albus would surely love to have you._

_Always be on the side of the light. I know everything would surely be all right, Sakura._

_With love,  
Nadeshiko Kinomoto (nee Amamiya)_

Sakura cried as she clutched the letter from her own mother. Her mother, Nadeshiko, died when she was three due to some 'car accident', which she doesn't believe anymore. So many questions flooded her mind, but she figured that those questions would be answered later on, not now.

"Sakura-_san_? Let's go, we still have to buy stuff." She heard Eriol from the outside. Pocketing the letter and wiping the residue of her tears, she went out of the vault and closed it behind her.

* * *

Sakura was quiet during their escapade in Diagon Alley, but it didn't mean that she didn't enjoy. She would always find herself gasping and squeaking in delight as they pass various stores. They first bought her school uniform at Madam Malkin's Robes for special occasion. She also bought a pink robe for her to wear for the rest of the day. They then proceeded to buy her books, trunks for the travel, quill and parchments, gloves and winter robes, and some lab equipments (cauldron, crystal phials, etc.) It was around noon when they stopped by a restaurant to eat.

"_Anything else on the list, Sakura-san?_" Eriol said as he sipped the last drop of his iced tea.

"_Hmmmm, well, the pet is optional so ..._" Sakura skimmed the parchment with the list of school supplies with her finger. "_Uhhh, a wand?_" Sakura looked at Eriol, tilting her head to the left.

"_I know just the place. Come now, so we could go home early._" Eriol took their purchases and made it float in the air for easier travel. Sakura followed him after chomping on her sandwich.

"_Eriol-kun, what's the difference between my star wand and a wizard's wand?_" Sakura asked as she walked beside Eriol.

"_See this?_" Eriol reached for the long wooden stick in his pocket. "_This is a wizard's wand. Unlike our wand keys, which requires the users to manipulate their magical energies to greater extent, these wands have magic in it already. You just have to control the energy in it._"

"_Hoee? So even you don't posses magic, you can still use one?_"

"_No, Sakura-san. You still have to have magic to access the magic in these wands. Well, the energy in these wands depend on the core, or what it's made of._" Eriol smiled at Sakura who nodded in understanding.

After walking for a few minutes, they stood outside Ollivanders. Sakura looked at the store in amazement. Unlike the other stores, she felt more powerful forces inside the store, making her uneasy.

"_It's alright, Sakura-san. Sorcerers like us normally feel the powers from the wands, unlike wizards, who are oblivious._" Eriol whispered as he pushed Sakura towards the door. "_Don't be scared, I'll be with you._"

The both of them entered the store. It was a bit dark inside, and it was full of rectangular boxes. Sakura then proceeded to right the bell on the counter while Eriol stayed by the door. After a few seconds, an old man appeared from the inside of the store.

"Hmmmm ... I'd never thought I'd see you, Miss Kinomoto." The old man smiled, then proceeded to skim through the boxes behind the counter. After a few moments, the old man then approached Sakura with a box that contained a dark brown wand.

"Here, unicorn hair, 11 inches, rosewood." He said while handing Sakura the wand. "Go on, give it a wave."

Sakura looked at the man confused before reluctantly waving it. The shop's vase immediately crashed and Sakura yelped in surprise. She placed the wand on top of the counter immediately.

"Hmm, not for you eh? How about this? Unicorn hair, ash, 14 inches. Pretty loyal wand if you ask me." Again, Sakura took the wand and gave it a wave, but then, boxes came flying out of their places.

For the next few minutes, Sakura tried wands which was compatible for her, but to no avail. She began feeling hopeless when the last wand she waved made Eriol puke.

But the old man, determined, went through the depths of the shop and skimmed through the dusty boxes. He found a box that glimmered and immediately used a floating spell to take it, as it was on top of the other boxes. He thought for a moment before returning to Sakura.

"This one, dragon heartstring, yew, 12 and half inches." He said. Sakura noticed the drop of the old man's mood.

"Yew? With dragon heartstring?" Sakura heard Eriol gasp from the corner. She tensed up and looked at the wand with concern.

Sakura then took the wand with her shaking right hand then immediately shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. But instead of explosions and crashes, all she heard was gasps from the men inside the store, and, unlike with the other wands, she felt more complete, which made her relaxed. She slowly opened her eyes to see pink sparks swirling around her. She gasped in amazement as she looked around her, and looked at Eriol, who gasped in amazement.

"Interesting ..." The old man stroked his chin while he looked at Sakura with curiosity. "The dragon heartstring is a very powerful core, you must be quite powerful, and yew ... I remember one with the same wood with you." The old man frowned.

"Uhh, may I ask who that one was?" Sakura asked, which made him frown even more.

"Aahh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you a ..." she stopped when he kissed her cheek, making her blush.

"Be careful. Always be on the side of light." He whispered. "I know you're goodhearted in nature, but please, just be careful." He rose up and smiled at her, who looked confused.

After paying for the wand, Sakura and Eriol went out of the store and started to walk. Sakura was still bothered by the man's words. They stopped by a store for a while, and Eriol went in, telling Sakura to wait outside.

'_Always be on the side of light? Those were my mom's exact words. What do they mean?_' Sakura's eyebrows twitched in confusion. He didn't notice Eriol appearing, holding a cage with a golden brown owl.

"Sakura-_san_?" Eriol waved his hand in front of Sakura, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"_Hoee? An owl?_" She squeaked in delight. She touched the feathers of the owl, who purred in delight. She smiled, it somehow reminded her of ...

"_Keroberos?_" Eriol asked. She nodded.

"_Well then, I'll name it Kero-chan. Thank you Eriol-kun._" Sakura smile, forgetting her worries when she took the cage with her.

"_Come, Sakura, let's go home and rest. I know you're tired._" Eriol lead the way for Sakura, who happily followed.

* * *

Okaaaaay! Here's chapter 5. I actually had to think about her wand for this. And this is my favorite chapter so far, although it's pretty rushed (I admit)! And Kero-chan's here, as an owl HAHAHAHA!

Don't forget to review when you have the time!


	7. Chapter VI

Here's chapter 6 guys! Enjoy! Sorry if it's a bit late. I had some trouble writing and rewriting my chapters because of school. And I got into an accident and got confined and stuff. Please read and review! It encourages me to go on.

Mazamba: thank you for pointing that out. Well, I didn't notice that until you said it. But, you'd see the connections as the story progresses. I didn't mean to make Sakura's star power to be neutral and her magic to be dark, let's just say the past (in this fic at least) is yet to unfold (oops, spoiler). But then, no to stereotypes xD (if your impression is because of the wand choice)

I keep on forgetting but **I DO NOT OWN CCS AND HP**. Although I would love to own them *wink

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"_Text spoken in Japanese_"

'_Thoughts in Japanese_'

*Flashback*

* * *

Sakura ate her dinner in silence while Nakuru asked Eriol endless questions about Diagon Alley. She was still confused after everything that happened during the day. After finishing their food, Eriol noticed her silence and told Nakuru to excuse them for a while. Nakuru, however, refused and it took some pulling from Suppie just for her to leave the two alone for a while. Eriol sweatdropped and admired her stubborness.

Eriol was sitting at the middle of the large rectangular dining table while Sakura sat at his right. Sakura was still silent even after Nakuru and Suppie left them alone.

"_Sakura-san, is there something bothering you?_" Eriol turned his head to Sakura and asked.

"_Eriol-kun, I ... who was it?_" Eriol raised his eyebrow.

"_I beg your pardon?_" Sakura suddenly chuckled, making Eriol confused. "_What's funny, Sakura-san?_"

"_I'm sorry, Eriol-kun. You're just too formal._" Eriol smiled as Sakura continued to chuckle.

'_At least she lightened up._'

"_Anyway,_" Sakura looked at Eriol with scared eyes. "_Is there something wrong with the wand I got?_" Eriol was taken aback by her question.

"_N...no, nothing is wrong with your wand. It's actually quite powerful and rare._"

"_If there's nothing wrong with it, then why did you look so scared when you saw it?_" Eriol kept quiet, feeling guilty at Sakura's innocent gaze.

"_Who was it, the other one whose wand's wood was the same as mine?_" Sakura's voice was shaking.

"_Sakura-san ... I can't speak his name._" Eriol stared at his empty plate.

"_Why is that? Is he evil?_" Sakura giggled at her joke. She failed to notice Eriol's frown.

"_Yes. In fact, he is the evil of all evils in the wizarding world._" Now it was Sakura's turn to frown. There was silence when both of them refused to speak.

"_Voldemort._" Eriol's voice was almost inaudible.

"_Hoee?_"

"_His name in Lord Voldemort._" Eriol whispered while he looked around the room. When he ensured that it was only them that was in the room, Eriol looked at Sakura intently.

"_You see, he was a student in Hogwarts before. But then, he indulged himself into dark arts slowly even when he was still a student. Some time after graduating, he just vanished like thin air.__ After a few years, he returned with some followers and started killing off those who tried to defy him._

"_Although so many people tried to defy him, he was just so powerful beyond any measure that time in the wizarding world. He killed so many good wizards until, one day, he just disappeared._

"_They say he was killed by a baby boy, although many were skeptical. This rumored baby boy was left with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. He was called _'The Boy who lived' _after this. I believe he is also going to Hogwarts this year. Well, after the incident, nobody heard of him._" There was silence after Eriol stopped.

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to joke like that._" Sakura rubbed her hands nervously while looking at her plate.

"_It's all right, Sakura-san, I know you didn't mean it._" Eriol smiled.

"_At least he's now gone, right?_" Sakura beamed at Eriol, who dropped his smile. "_Right, Eriol-kun?_"

"_I'm sorry Sakura-san, but I refused to believe that he died that day._" Eriol sulked. "_After the incident, his followers were still on the move, as if he didn't die._" Now it was Sakura's turn to frown.

"_Was he the one?_"

"_The one?_"

"_The one who killed okaa-san and erased otou-san's memories?_" Eriol was surprised with Sakura's words. He knows how dense Sakura is, but now, it seems that Sakura has changed. It made Eriol think that slowly, Sakura is loosing her innocence; innocence from the reality of the world.

"_I'm afraid I can't answer that. I wasn't aware of your mother's death that time. I'm sorry._" Eriol avoided Sakura's eyes.

"_But, did you know that otou-san was already involved in magic even before you gave him half of yours?_" Sakura's stare was piercing. Eriol paused, seemingly surprised. A few seconds, Sakura became aware of what she said and looked at her lap, surprised at her own words.

"_I'm sorry, Eriol-kun. I'm just so confused, that's all._" She started fiddling with her fork. "_Everything happened too fast; this Hogwarts thing, discovering that otou-san forgot his past and it relates to magic, not to mention this weird dream ..._"

"_A dream? What dream?_" Eriol snapped, cutting her off in the process, while she shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"_Well, I don't remember much of it. I had it a few months ago. What I do remember is that I was hit by a green light ... That's all._" Sakura decided to leave the "dying" part, not wanting to make Eriol angrier than he was at the moment.

"_Why didn't you tell me about this before?_" Eriol hissed, scaring Sakura. He knew what green lights meant, even if Sakura wasn't telling everything about what happened

"_I ... I tried to ... talk to you countless times ... but everytime I do, something comes up ... _" Sakura ducked her head low just to avoid Eriol's glare. Seeing this, Eriol's glare softened, realizing that he scared her.

"_I'm sorry, Sakura-san,_" Sakura looked up, meeting Eriol's soft gaze with her own blurry eyes, "_I didn't mean to scare you like that. It's just that ... you should have told me sooner._" Eriol stood up and waved his hand to clear the table. He turned his back towards Sakura and started walking towards the door. "_Go and rest now, Sakura-san, tomorrow would be a big day._" He went out and went to his study.

When he reached his study, he made sure that Sakura went to her own room and rest before he entered. When he entered, he punched the wall near him.

"This is my fault! Now, she is in the midst of this!" Eriol screamed while Spinel Sun, who went straight to his master's study after he left the dining room, flew towards him and patted his head.

"It's not your fault. It's Clow's. You are not Clow." Spinel reasoned. Eriol sighed, calming down as he sat down his favorite chair.

"I just hope he puts Sakura out of this. She shouldn't be involved." He frowned while looking at an elegant looking gold cup in his desk.

"Is she really not involved now?" Spinel asks, making Eriol sigh in defeat, still looking at the cup.

'I'm sorry, Sakura. It's Clow Reed's will.'

* * *

"Oooooohhhh Sakura-_chan_! You're leaving already! I'm going to miss you!" Tomoyo squealed as she, Sakura, and Eriol went further in King's Cross station. It was the day that Sakura waited for; it was time to leave for Hogwarts.

"_Ne_, Tomoyo-_chan_, I'd still write to you since phones and computers are not allowed so don't worry." Sakura smiled, rubbing her cheery friend's hands. They then marched off towards the train while Eriol pushed Sakura's trunks forward.

When they reached the ticket station, Sakura went to buy a ticket for the train, but Eriol stopped her.

"You already have your ticket here with me, Sakura-_san_." Eriol waved the ticket before handing it to Sakura. "Anyway, this is where we part now. Goodbye now, and have a wonderful time. You are always welcome in my manor when it's your break."

After saying their goodbyes, Sakura took her trunks and started walking towards the train when Eriol stopped her.

"_Be careful, Sakura-san. Always be on the side of the light._" When Sakura jerked her head towards where Eriol had whispered, she found that he and Tomoyo were gone already.

'_Hoeee._ _That's the third time already.' _(A/N: First was Nadeshiko's letter, then second was Ollivander's warning, in case you forgot lol) Confused, she looked at her train ticket, making her more confused.

'_Platform nine and three-quarters? Is there such a platform?_' She thought to her self while pushing her trunk. '_Might as well ask the guards._' She pushed further towards the guard nearby, who was guiding the passengers toward the train.

"Excuse me, may I ask where platform nine and three-quarters is?" She smiled, making the guard smile for a moment before furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"I'm sorry, dear, but there's no such thing as nine and three-quarters. Are you lost? May I help you look for your parents?" He offered his hand to Sakura.

"Hoee? No, thank you, I ... I'll just find my way, d..don't worry." Sakura smiled sheepishly, scratching her head. quickly turning around, she heard the guard mutter under his breath something about why many kids were asking about non-existent platforms.

Turning her head from side to side, Sakura found herself lost and confused about her train ticket. She checked every platform but there was no platform nine and three-quarters. If there's anything close enough, that would be either platforms nine or ten.

'_Hoeee? Is this the right ticket? Or the right train station? Hoeee Eriol-kun I'm so confused._' She stood between platforms nine and ten with a confused look on her face while looking at the ticket Eriol gave her when somebody tapped her shoulder.

"Are you, perhaps, looking for platform nine and three-quarters?" When Sakura turned around, she found a girl with brown, bushy hair. She was wearing the uniform for Hogwarts students; black sweater with white blouse and grey tie underneath, black skirt that reached her knees, grey socks that reached just below her knees, and black socks. Sakura assumed that they were the same age, looking at her stature.

"Uhh ... yes, but the guards said that there's no such platform. Are we in the right train station? Do you know where the platform is?" Sakura bombarded the girl with questions. Realizing that it was a bit rude, she bowed down. "I'm sorry. I was just confused." The girl giggled.

"It's quite all right. And yes, I know where the platform is. I've read about it. Come, follow me." The girl pushed her trunk towards platform nine, making her face the wall. Sakura followed her and went to her side.

"You see, the platform is not supposed to be seen by muggles, so don't be confused if the guards here haven't heard of the platform." Sakura nodded in understanding. (She learned about the common words wizards usually used from Eriol). "Now, to get to the platform, you must run towards the wall then cross the barrier. Run until you reach the other side."

"Hoee? Doesn't that hurt?" The girl laughed at Sakura's reaction.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't. If it does then the ministry should have closed it. I'll go first then you follow, okay?" The girl gripped his luggage tight. "And, when you cross the platform, please stay away from the wall immediately, okay? You wouldn't want sore butts on the train, would you?" The girl then run towards the wall.

Sakura closed her eyes, afraid that the girl would hurt and make a fool out of herself. She waited for a bang, but it didn't happen. Opening her eyes, she saw the girl was gone. Looking around the station, it looked like nobody noticed?

'_Hoee? Maybe she did cross the wall? And nobody noticed? Oh well._' Sakura gripped her luggage, nervous as she ran towards the wall. She closed her eyes, afraid that she wouldn't be able to cross the wall. Seconds later, she felt a tingling sensation. She ran until she didn't feel the tingles anymore. When she opened her eyes, she saw wizards rushing towards the train. Looking up, she saw that she wasn't in platform nine or ten anymore. She was in platform nine and three-quarters.

"_Cool!_" Sakura gawked as she looked at her surroundings. She found the girl that helped her waving her hand and point to the train.

"We're going to be left behind if you don't hurry!" The girl shouted. Sakura rushed to her side.

"_Anoo, thank you for helping me!_" Sakura, who unconsciously switched to Japanese, bowed her head.

"Um, I did not understand what you just said." The train whistled. "Never mind. Just tell me later. Let's go."

After putting their luggages to the compartment, they went inside the train to look for seats. They then found an empty compartment and settled there.

"I'm sorry I switched to Japanese. I wanted to say thank you for helping me." Sakura bowed down, making the girl wave her hand.

"No it's all right. No need for such gratitudes." The girl smiled.

"It looked like you're used to crossing the barrier. Are you a student at Hogwarts as well?" Sakura tilted her head.

"To be honest, it was my first time as well. You see, this would be my first year. I am assuming it is your first year as well."

"Hoee? Then how did you know?" Sakura raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"I've read about it." Sakura opened her mouth in amazement. "Oh yeah, I'm afraid I haven't asked your name."

"Ah, I'm Kinomoto Sakura."

"I'm Hermione Granger. The pleasure is mine."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Granger." Sakura bowed down again, making Hermione blush with the formalities.

'I've never thought Japanese are so respectful.' Hermione thought to herself.

"Please call me Hermione. I don't like such formalities, Sakura. I mean, if I can call you Sakura."

"Of course! Let's be friends!" Sakura reached for Hermione's hand, who gladly took it.

"Oh, you should change into your uniform so that you would not rush later." Hermione then lead Sakura to the changing room.

After Sakura changed, the two just talked in their compartment, learning more about each other, when a knock was heard in their compartment door.

"Um, excuse me," A boy who looked the same age as the two, shyly stood there. "I ... I'm Neville. Have you seen a toad? His name is Trevor. I lost him somewhere." The boy scratched his head.

"No, sorry, I didn't. Have you seen a toad, Hermione?"

"No, I haven't seen a toad, either. Why don't we help you look for it?" Hermione offered while Sakura and Neville nodded. The two then went out of the compartment and started searching for the missing toad.

Hermione went to the front of the train while Sakura and Neville went to the back.

"Thank you for helping me. What's your name?" Neville asked while Sakura looked inside an empty compartment.

"I'm Kinomoto Sakura."

"Kinomoto? That's a weird first name." (A/N: LOL)

"No, no you have it wrong. You see, Sakura is my first name while Kinomoto is my family name. I guess we say our names differently. I'm from Japan." Sakura explained while smiling sheepishly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I think that was stupid of me." Neville scratched his head. "Ah, I'll look here while you go there, if you don't mind." He pointed to the last car of the train; the luggage compartment. Sakura just nodded and went to where he pointed.

The moment she entered the car, she felt nauseous and dizzy. Looking around, she only saw luggages; no sign of Neville's toad. When she turned around to leave the car, she saw a figure in black cloak, making her dizzier. She fell to her knees, panting hard. When she looked up, she saw the figure looking at her with snake-like eyes.

"W..who a..are you?" Sakura whispered, barely audible, still looking at the figure with unfocused eyes. The figure just stood there, not moving. Not waiting for an answer, Sakura fell down unconscious.

* * *

"Professor! Neville! What happened?" Hermione came running from the front part of the train to the engine room. Her professor was carrying an unconscious Sakura in his arms.

"Uh, I asked Sakura to look for Trevor in the luggage compartment, then I heard a thud. When I went to look, I found Professor Quirrell shaking Sakura, who was on the floor, unconscious." Neville explained while fiddling his hands. They placed Sakura on an empty compartment.

"O...oh dear. S...she must h...have been d...di...dizzy because ... of the ... train ride." The professor stammered, stroking Sakura's hair. After a few seconds, Sakura stirred. She slowly opened her eyes to see three people.

"Hoeee?" She tried sitting up, but found it hard to do it.

"A...are y...you all ... all right?" The professor asked, worried.

"P...Professor Quirrell? What happened?" Sakura placed her pounding head on her hands.

"He found you unconscious in the luggage compartment, Sakura. How do you feel?" Hermione knelt down beside Sakura.

"My ... my head hurts. I f..feel so fuzzy." Sakura's voice was barely inaudible.

"Y...you should ... should s...sleep. W...we won't be ... arriving soon, hehehehe." Professor Quirrell went out, bumping in the door in the process.

"He sure is a weird professor." Neville commented.

"Tell me about it. Well, he is our Defense against Dark Arts professor, so I think he's fine." Hermione said while helping Sakura lie down. "I wonder what happened to her. She looks so pale now, unlike earlier." She said.

"Maybe the train ride got into her, like Professor Quirrell said. I hope that she gets better before we reach Hogwarts." Neville stood up, sighing. "Trevor still isn't found, isn't he?"

"Just let it be for now, Neville. I'm sure you're going to find it soon enough." Hermione sat opposite to Sakura's sleeping form while Neville sat beside her.


	8. Chapter VII

Finally! Sorry for the late update. Wow, it's been two months, sorry. I accidentally deleted my files in my computer (including this and my other story) so I have to rewrite it, and I forgot most of the plot already *cries*.

Please, I'm already begging for reviews =(( It keeps me going, and fast, and ideas would be much appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BOTH CCS AND HARRY POTTER

"Text spoken in English"

'Thoughts in English'

"_Text spoken in Japanese_" /*I think this would be seldom used from now on*/

'_Thoughts in Japanese_' /*Also this, but it won't hurt to know, right?*/

*Flashback*

* * *

They were just half an hour away from Hogwarts when Sakura woke up. Slowly opening her eyes, she found that they were back in their carriage.

"Hoee?" Sakura winced when she realized her head was still throbbing.

"Oh dear, Miss Kinomoto, are you all right?" Neville rushed to Sakura's side then helped her sit up. Sakura tried to massage her temples to ease her headache, but the throbbing didn't stop. Their compartment door suddenly opened, revealing Professor Quirrell and a girl wearing the same uniform as the two girls in the compartment, except that the girl's uniform was accentuated with the color blue and she was wearing a black robe with a badge with a raven on it on the left side.

"M...Miss K..Ki..Kinomoto! I'm ... happy that y...you're awake!" Professor Quirrell shifted uncomfortably. The girl with him then entered the compartment and gave Sakura what looked like a medicine.

"Here, take this, it will relieve you of your headache." Sakura took the tablet and the glass of water from the girl and popped the tablet, followed by the water. It only relieved her headache a bit; the throbbing was still there.

"Do you feel much better?" The girl asked.

"I still have the headache, but I feel better than earlier. Thank you." Sakura smiled, still holding her head. The girl stood up and went out of the compartment, then turned to Sakura again.

"If you need any help, I'm just in a nearby compartment. I'm Penelope Clearwater, by the way, Ravenclaw prefect." She and Professor Quirrell went away but not before the said professor waved nervously.

"He sure is a weird professor." Neville commented.

"Tell me about it." Hermione, who just arrived, agreed. Sitting down across Sakura, she then turned her attention to Sakura with a worried face. "Are you sure you are all right? You looked pale a while ago."

"Yeah, it is a good thing that we are nearby the professors' and prefects' compartment, so you were brought into attention immediately. What happened back there?" Neville looked at Sakura, who was rubbing her forehead. "You sure gave us a scare there."

"I'm fine, don't worry now, I think my headache's gone." Sakura smiled, then sat properly. Neville sat back down opposite to her beside Hermione. "How long was I out?"

"Long enough for me to search the train for Trevor." Hermione answered rather bemused. "You were out for hours, dear, we were beginning to think you wouldn't wake up in time for our arrival."

"I'm sorry, Hermione-_san_, for making you worried_. _Well, I'm not sure what happened back there myself." Sakura mused to herself, looking at the ceiling of the train.

"San?" Neville asked quizzically. Hermione chuckled.

"It's an honorific, Neville, used by the Japanese." Hermione explained, Neville nodded in understanding.

"I'm sorry, should I drop it?" Sakura asked, tilting her head.

"No, no it's fine." Hermione smiled a reassuring smile. "After Professor Quirrell took care of you, I told Neville here that I would continue to look for Trevor, but no luck, I haven't found it. But guess who I found on one of the carriages." Hermione smiled excitingly.

"Who?" Neville and Sakura asked.

"I met Harry Potter!" Hermione beamed, while Neville dropped his mouth.

"Who is he?" Sakura's question was left unheard and unanswered when the train whistled and stopped.

"PLEASE LEAVE YOU BAGGAGE IN THE TRAIN WHEN YOU STEP OUT." A prefect announced while ushering the students out. Grabbing her robe, Sakura tried to ask again but her question was drowned in the sound of students hurrying to go out of the train. Hermione suddenly grabbed her hand and lead her out of the carriage and out of the train, following Neville.

"FIRS' YERRS, FIRS' YERRS, OVER HERR" Sakura heard a man shouting outside. Gripping Hermione's hand tight, they went out of the train.

When Sakura stepped out of the train, she gawked at how different the surrounding was from Tomoeda and from the place around Eriol's manor. It felt like she stepped back in time. Hermione tugged her robe, snapping her from her own thoughts.

"Look! There he is!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing to a boy who just finished talking to a giant-looking man.

"Hoee? Who is he again?" Sakura tried to ask Hermione again, but when she turned her head to where Hermione pointed, she yelped in surprise.

"Hoeeee!" She was surprised to see the giant man hovering over her.

"Oh, please, I don't bite. Calm down, will 'ya?" The giant smiled, making Sakura feel a bit relaxed.

"I'm sorry. It was rude of me." Sakura bowed down to the man, surprising him and even Neville.

"Don't bow down, kid! It's unnecessary. The name's Rubeus Hagrid by the way, keeper of keys at Hogwarts! Pleased to meet 'ya!" Hagrid said, reminding Sakura of Kero's Osakan accent and manner of speech. "Well, go to the boats now!, firs' yerrs, right? Fall in line for the boats there." The three of them started to walk towards the boats. Sakura noticed that there were only first years on the line, while the other students are nowhere to be seen.

"The older students go by carriages that are pulled by Thestrals. I've read about it in a book." As if reading her mind, Hermione explained.

"Hoee? Thestrals?" Sakura turned to Neville, tilting her head a bit.

"Hmmm ... if you ask me, Thestrals look like horses." Neville said.

"You've seen one?"

"Nope. Only in pictures."

Sakura looked at where she assumed the carriages were. She then saw moving carriages with some kind of beast in front of it.

"Oh, you're right I guess, it looks like a horse, but they have bat-like wings." Sakura silently commented, still looking at the direction of the carriages. Although it was barely a whisper, Hermione heard her clearly.

"You can see it?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Uhh, yes. Is there something wrong?" Sakura looked at Hermione.

"Have you seen death?" Sakura was taken aback by Hermione's question. Looking at Neville for support, she realized that he wasn't paying attention. "I mean, have you seen anyone die?"

"Hmm ... no I didn't, why are you asking?" Thinking about it, although her mom died, she didn't see how she actually died, so she didn't count it.

"Are you sure?" Hermione's shock doubled.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. Why is that?"

"Because only those who have seen death can see Thestrals." Now it was Sakura's turn to be shocked. She looked at the direction of the Thestrals again, hoping that she was just hallucinating, but dismayed when she still can see the beasts.

"Hoeee? But, why? ... what? ... how can I see it?" Before her question was answered, they were already in front of the line for the boats.

The first years marvelled at the sight before them; the Hogwarts castle. The boats were moving on their own, much to Sakura's amazement. Her mouth was kept open as she gawked at everything she was seeing.

'Only those who have seen death can see Thestrals.'

Hermione's words troubled her. She couldn't understand why she could see the beasts. She looked to her right to see Hermione gawking like the rest of the students, she was about to ask a question when a thought struck her.

'_Can it be because of my dream?_'

Sakura continued to ponder until they reach the foot of the castle.

"Sakura, c'mon, we are here!" Hermione squealed as she dragged Sakura out of the boat and towards the big stairs in front of the castle.

The students continued to gawk as they reach the steps of the school castle. Various stone and wall patterns made them marvel. At the top of the stairs, Professor McGonagall was there, waiting for all of them.

"Would you please follow me." She motioned the students to follow her inside of the castle walls.

Sakura can't help but stare in awe at the insides of the castle. The school gave her an ancient feel, as if they travelled back through time. She didn't notice Hermione letting her go, until she bumped into a fellow student.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know where I was looking." Sakura deeply bowed down.

"It's all right, please, don't fuss about it." A very friendly voice said, prompting Sakura to look up. She saw two boys in front of her. The boy who she bumped into and spoke had black hair and was wearing glasses, the other had red hair and freckles all over his face. They were wearing the same uniform Sakura was wearing, except that they wore pants instead of skirts, and the red-haired boy was wearing old robes.

"My name is Ki-Sakura Kinomoto." She bowed down again briefly. The two boys, on the other hand, were taken aback by her politeness. "May I ask what your names are?" Sakura made sure that she told her name the English way; saying her given name first before her family. She remembered how Neville had mistakenly took 'Kinomoto' as her first name. /*LOL*/

"Oh, uh, I'm Ron Weasley, and THIS is Harry Potter!" The red-headed boy exclaimed, half-expecting Sakura to react with the other boy's name.

"I'm pleased to meet you." She smiled, lifting her hand for a handshake. Ron, however, just looked at her hand incredulously.

"You're not gonna say anything? Or react?"

"Hoee?"

Before Ron could say more, his companion, Harry Potter, who was grinning, suddenly took her hand, shaking it vigorously.

"The pleasure is mine ... ours!" Harry smiled nervously while he elbowed Ron to snap him from his thoughts. They immediately went upstairs when they noticed they were left behind.

After a few more minutes of walking, they were abruptly stopped by the teacher in front of them. The students were now in front of a big double door.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall with a booming voice, shutting the students immediately. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

The professor was interrupted when Neville suddenly rushed forward.

"Trevor!" He shouted. The professor then noticed a toad by her foot, being taken by Neville. Glaring at Neville, the boy slowly stepped backward, in nervousness.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school." She continued. "I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

"I will return when we are ready for you," said the Professor, entering the hall. "Please wait quietly." /*As you can see, this is almost a direct quote ;)*/

After the professor left, murmurs were heard from the excited first years. Even Sakura, who forgot her thoughts for a while, was caught up in the excitement. She was about to talk to Hermione when a booming voice suddenly was heard.

"It is true then!" A boy with blonde hair sneered. Everybody present in the hallway immediately hushed, showing hints of recognition. "Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts!"

Almost immediately, all students gasped in surprise and started murmuring at each other, except Sakura, who was confused as to why everybody reacted the way they did.

"Is he really that famous?" She whispered to Hermione, who as in front of her.

"What? You don't know him?!" Hermione whispered, raising her eyebrow. Sakura chuckled nervously.

Sakura can't remember the next few moments that happened between the blonde-haired boy and the famous Harry Potter. She instead shifted her attention on how the students were reacting to the situation.

'These two boys must be quite famous to get such reactions.' She thought.

The next time she looked at the boys in question, she noticed how flustered the blonde was, looking incredulously at Harry Potter. By then, all of the first years have entered the hall already.

The older students, who were looking at the new comers intently, were already seated in four different tables in the hall, wearing the same uniforms as the first years, but accentuated with other colors. Sakura thought it was depending on which house they belonged to, like how Professor McGonagall explained. They were also wearing black pointed hats. Looking up the ceiling, she noticed that the sky is visible, although on the outside of the castle, the roof is not open.

"The ceiling is charmed with magic. I've read about it, in Hogwarts; A History." Hermione, who was in front of her, whispered to another student. Sakura smiled, her question answered.

In general, the Great Hall gives off a very calming aura, she thought.

After a few moments, she found herself looking at Harry Potter again.

'He sure looks like Eriol-kun. But something is odd about him.' Sakura mused to herself. As they stopped in front of the teacher's table, she noticed a stool with an old pointed hat on top of it. All the first years huddled closer to the front.

"When I call you name, you will be sorted in your houses." Professor McGonagall's voice boomed around the Great Hall. All the student's whispers ceased, having their attention shifted to the stool and hat.

"Abbott, Hannah!" The professor called. A girl with medium-length blonde hair slowly walked towards the stool, seemingly nervous. She sat down the stool and the hat was placed on top of her head. Immediately, the hat started to move, as if talking to the girl, but nothing was heard from it.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat's voice boomed across the hallway after a few moments of silence. Cheers from the Hufflepuff table erupted as Hannah Abbott skipped towards the table, her necktie and badge turning from its grey color to yellow stripes.

After a few more names, Sakura started to feel anxious about the sorting, not knowing what to expect.

"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione slowly went to the stool while breathing deeply. After a few seconds, the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!" Sakura clapped her hands for her friend, who gave her a thankful glance.

"Kinomoto, Sakura!" Sakura jumped from her thoughts as her name was called after a few more minutes. All eyes were on her as she slowly went towards the stool. When she reached the stool, she slowly sat down, and the hat was slowly placed on her head.

"Interesting ..." Sakura jerked when she heard a voice from the hat. The old hat immediately moved, as if contemplating. Sakura noticed that the hall wasn't hearing what the hat was saying.

"Yes, that is correct, this is between you and me." The hat said, still surprising Sakura.

"Very difficult ..." The hat continued to ponder. "You're hard working and temperate, much like your father. But your bravery is not something to ignore hmm, similar to your mother eh? ... and your desire for western knowledge is something as well ... your heritage shouts power and ambition ... where to put you hmmm?" The hat rambled to himself, making Sakura uncomfortable, unaware of her surroundings except for the hat.

After a few more moments, the hat sighed.

"Where should I put you eh? You're compatible with all four houses, I didn't think that was possible ..." The hat chuckled. "Your father was much easier, between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw."

'Uhh, hat-_san_?' Sakura managed to choke out. The hat chuckled again.

"How about putting you in hmm ... Hufflepuff like your father? Ravenclaw? Or Slytherin? Slytherin will lead the way to greatness!" The hat exclaimed.

At the mention of the Slytherin house, Sakura shuddered. She remembered the rumors about the house and how, in general terms, it produced evil wizards. She doesn't believe in such, but then, she saw a certain Crabb's face when he was sorted a while ago.

"Please don't put me in Slytherin." Sakura pleaded.

"And why not? If you want to retain your status as the 'most powerful sorcerer of the present'," Sakura stiffened, "then Slytherin is good for you! Clow Reed was Slytherin, if you would like to know ..."

'_What?_' Sakura's eyes widened, not knowing that piece of information. '_But Clow-san isn't bad._' There was silence for a few moments.

"If I end up in Slytherin," Sakura finally managed to say, "would it help me to have the power and courage to protect the ones I love?" The hat was silent for a few seconds.

"You just made my decision easier." The hat said. "If you don't want to be in Slytherin, I'll put you in GRYFFINDOR!"

Sakura visibly relaxed as the hat was removed from her head. Most of the students cheered as Sakura skipped towards the Gryffindor table /*Guess those who didn't cheer for her ohohoho*/. Sakura sat beside Hermione who was clapping non-stop. Other Gryffindor students were patting Sakura's back and shaking her hand while the sorting continued.

"Didn't think I would see a hatstall during my stay here!" A student exclaimed, earning agreements from the other students.

"Holy cricket, I thought you wouldn't be sorted!" Hermione exclaimed. "You were sitting there for 10 minutes!"

"Hoee? Hatstall?" Sakura asked.

"A hatstall is someone whose sorting took longer than 5 minutes. Basically it's because the hat had a hard time sorting. I'm Percy Weasley, by the way, Gryffindor prefect." A red-head student explained and shook Sakura's hand.

Just then, Harry Potter's name was called, making everybody shush, even the faculty in front.

'_He's so nervous. I wonder what house he would be sorted in._' Sakura thought as Harry sat in the stool. As expected, the hat became animated as soon as it was placed on top of Harry's head.

After a few minutes, some of the students started to murmur. Harry Potter still wasn't sorted.

"It could be the first time in history, two hatstalls in one sorting ceremony." A boy named Seamus whispered to Sakura and Hermione, who were across him. Sakura's attention was towards Harry, she didn't hear it.

"Not Slytherin, not Slytherin." Sakura can vaguely hear Harry's whispers to the hat.

'_Not ..._ Slytherin?' Sakura thought. Her thoughts were interrupted when the hat shouted Gryffindor, causing the students from the said house to cheer wildly, Sakura included.

Harry ran towards the table and was assaulted by various handshakes and congratulations from the older students. He sat down beside Sakura.

"Let me guess, the hat wanted to put you in Slytherin?" Sakura asked, smiling. Harry, whose hands are still being held by students in handshakes, turned his head and simply nodded.

"How did you know?" Harry inquired when the students calmed down and the sorting continued.

"You were whispering to the hat," Sakura said, "not Slytherin?" She titled her head.

"Ah, it's because it was said that you-know-who was a Slytherin." Harry whispered so that no one would hear. Sakura responded with a silent o.

"Anyway, Mr. Potter, I'm sorry," Sakura lowered her head a bit, "I didn't know who you were earlier." Harry simply chuckled.

"Don't apologize. I'm actually happy you didn't know me." She gave him a questioning look. "I mean, all the people wanted to meet me because I was famous. But you didn't know me, and introduced yourself."

"Is it all right if we become friends? Can I call you Harry?" Sakura smiled and stretched her hand towards Harry.

"Of course! Of course you can, Sakura!" Harry enthusiastically shook Sakura's hand as the sorting ceremony ended with Ron ending up in Gryffindor.

* * *

I'm truly sorry for the delay. Please review! Reviews are highly appreciated :D


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